A beautiful tragic love affair
by maintje
Summary: COMPLETE! At the 10 year Annivesary at Hogwarts, Harry encounters Malfoy for the first time in ten years. His appearance instantly takes him back to his teenage years, when he was dating the blonde. But now he's a grown-up, having built up a solid relationship with Ginny and he can no longer let himself be fooled by hormones. Or can he? HP/DM Slash
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! I'm finally back! I've been working on this story for the past year, as I've been so busy with work and life. I wanted this one to be finished before I started posting, as I have a major writing block during my last story. So here goes, I hope you all enjoy! And don't worry, this one is already finished!**

Chapter 1

"Harry, can you zip me up, please?" Ginny shouted from the bedroom. Harry put down the razor and headed over to his girlfriend, who was struggling to reach the spot between her shoulder blades.

"Let me," Harry offered, zipping up the dress. Her long red hair contrasted against her pale skin and Harry placed a soft peck in her neck. The dark green dress matched with the button up shirt Harry would put on later, after shaving the rest of his right cheek.

"You look adorable with the foam. Why don't you go like this?" Ginny joked, and Harry offered her a crooked grin.

"Why didn't you go with your dress half open, darling?" Ginny stomped him and Harry smiled, chuckling as he headed back to the bathroom. They had been together for ten years now. After the war, he had asked Ginny on a real date, a date without the fear that someone would get killed because they were associated with him. They'd been together ever since. Harry could call himself a lucky guy. Ginny was a wonderful woman. She knows what she wants and doesn't back out when it gets heavy. He liked that about her.

"Are you almost finished?" Ginny asked, popping her head around the corner.

"Five more minutes," Harry grumbled, putting on the dark green button-up shirt and a black pair of trousers.

"You're even worse than I am, when it comes to the bathroom," Ginny mocked, making her way downstairs.

"Only because it took you two hours to get showered!" Harry called after her. He smiled again, smoothening his hair a little and with a last glance in the mirror, he went downstairs.

Not long after, Harry and Ginny left the House and walked around the quarter heading for the legal Apparition spot. They'd agreed with Ron and Hermione to meet in Hogsmeade, so neither of them had to do unnecessary trips. Besides, Harry hated using Floo powder, and they usually used that method to visit Ron and Hermione's place. Harry hoped there wouldn't be too many people in the Three Broomsticks. He hated being in crowded places, and as all the student's who'd ever attended Hogwarts were invited, Harry guessed it would practically be impossible to find his friends. But well…

The couple apparated in the side street of Hogsmeade, near Hogs Head. To say the place was crowded was an understatement. Wizards made their way through the streets trying to reach the castle without getting trampled. Mothers pulled their children along on their arms and youngsters called out through the crowd trying to find their friends.

Hogwarts was celebrating its tenth anniversary of the renovations. Harry didn't like parties, but he had to admit that Hogwarts deserved one. It had been completely demolished after the war. He grabbed Ginny's hand and followed the slow trot of the people, trying to avoid accidental stomps in his stomach and keeping an eye out not to step on anyone's feet. He hoped the crowdedness would diminish when reaching the castle.

"How are we going to get in the Three Broomsticks like this?" He grumbled impatiently. Ginny shook her head, as to say she didn't know either. Harry looked around, feeling dispirited. Hermione and Ron could be walking along these people without knowing they were right here. He heaved a deep sigh.

"Calm down, Harry. We'll find them. The café isn't far anymore." They had been walking on the main street for a while now, and were nearing the side street that led to the Three Broomsticks.

"I just knew this would happen. I have no clue to why they invited everyone but this is going to be a drag," Harry muttered. Ginny pursed her lips disapprovingly.

"Lighten up, Harry. You're ruining the mood. It's going to be great to meet old friends and to catch up with them. Besides, you weren't obliged to come." As a matter of fact, he was. There was no way he would let Ginny, Hermione and Ron go alone and then be the odd one. He didn't respond but pulled a face instead.

He didn't feel like talking about the weather and his work with people that he hadn't seen for years and probably wouldn't see for years again after leaving this party. What was the point anyway? In the early morning they would all head home and go on with their lives. He might as well have stayed home to begin with. The only person he looked forward seeing was Hagrid. Luckily, he wouldn't be so hard to find.

After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the Three Broomsticks.

"Over there!" Ginny pointed, and yes, a few feet further, Harry could distinguish two red heads and a bush of brown curls. "Ron! Hermione!" Ginny shouted. Hermione turned her head and started waving. When she reached them, she engulfed Harry in a big, curly hug.

"It's been too long. You two should stop by more often!" Her smile was contagious and Harry lit up as well. It was good to see his friends again. He winked at Rose, then smiled apologetically at Hermione.

"It's been busy in the shop," Harry explained. He used that line for a lot of things, but he didn't feel guilty about it. It actually was busy in the shop. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You're always working, Harry. You should take a break more often." Harry turned towards Ron, who winked at him before offering him a strong hug. Harry smacked his best friend on the back, before letting go again. "Says the woman who can't stop working overtime at St. Mungo's," Ron whispered in Harry's ear.

"I tell him all the time," Ginny brought in, wrapping an arm around Harry's waist. "But he never listens."

"How's George?" Hermione asked. As the women were talking, Harry shared another glance of understanding with Ron.

"He's great, really great. It's very busy in the Joke-shop as well, especially since the school year is starting soon," Ginny responded. Ever since the war ended, she'd helped out George in his shop, and helped developing new pranks. She never stopped and still worked there after ten years. Harry didn't mind. It was nice working so close to one another. On quiet days, they would go out and eat together in Diagon Alley.

Harry had opened an animal shop, or rather bought the premises from Eelops Owl Emporium when the owner retired and had completely renewed it. The shop was a lot more organised now, and he'd enlarged it, using the second floor as well. There were small staircases to go visit the animals on the upper level, there was a separated department for animal food and accessories and all the creatures had a spacious cage.

Even though owls were still a speciality, various animals could be found: Various breeds of cats, toads of all sizes (even the big ones like Neville used to have) and ferrets in different colours. Harry loved working in his shop. When Hedwig died, he hadn't wanted just another owl, afraid of it becoming her replacement. But the animal shop was something that suited him perfectly. He had lots of animals to love and care of, and make sure they were sold to an owner that would only want the best for them.

They finally reached the entrance of the castle. The view was mesmerising. The castle grounds were decorated with floating lights everywhere, resembling stars that had fallen from the sky. Upon entering, golden confetti fell in a continuous motion, disappearing again just before it hit the ground. Golden festoons had been put up everywhere and even the suits of Armor were coloured in gold instead of the cold metal gleam they usually had.

In the Great Hall, the four tables were put aside, filled with all sorts of starters: toast with various tastes of spread, tomatoes filled with prawns, crisps, salty sticks, cheese cubes, salami sausages, tiny pizza slices, etc. In the middle, they had left a large circle to dance, high standing tables were placed around, to enable the invitees to put down their glass of wine or in Hermione's case, fruit juice.

Everything around them was made up out of gold, even the ghosts had found some sparkly accessories to boost up their appearance. Small groups of dressed up people were scattered everywhere and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny quickly looked for a free table before they all were occupied. As they put down their glasses, an assortment of starters appeared on the table.

"It looks really nice," Hermione said. "They've outdone themselves again." Harry nodded in agreement, not saying much. If Hermione would start to realize that all this beautiful work was mostly done by the House Elves, she might go on a hunger strike again. His gaze wavered over to the Headtable. He instantly recognized professor Flitwick and professor Sprout, but the other teachers were all new. Professor McGonagall sat in Dumbledore's chair, whose portrait had been added to the Headmasters' room. That was the only thing left of the wise old man.

Harry promised himself to stop by when the party was started off and nobody would notice his absence. Professor McGonagall had aged a lot, and it wouldn't be long before someone else took her place. She would then be added to the wall of Headmaster portraits, a well-deserved spot next to Dumbledore. Hogwarts would soon be unrecognizable to Harry.

He felt a pang in his stomach. It seemed like yesterday that he first walked along these corridors, trying to find his way through the maze of hallways, had his first meal at the Gryffindor table, his first dance with Cho Chang, and not much later his first kiss with the same girl. Everything was written in these walls, and it would soon be lost in the past forever.

"Merlin, it took me a long time to find you. I already figured you'd be in the epicentre of the party!" George smacked Harry's back and made him shot up out of his reverie.

"Hi George," Harry greeted, feeling a little disoriented. "Where's Angelina," was the first thing he could come up with.

"Catching up with Katie somewhere." George waved in another direction, not really taking notice of his wife. It looked like he had his fair share of girl talk and wanted to get out before it killed the last part of his masculinity. "So how are you, fellow neighbour?"

"I'm great. It's been too long since we went here," Harry responded, looking around again briefly. He really missed the old days.

"Yeah, I feel you, mate. Those were our glory days." A sad vail clouded George's gaze, and Harry knew he must be thinking about Fred. The _'our'_ probably referred to the two of them.

"They certainly were. It's hardly recognizable here, these days. Only the ghosts haven't changed." George nodded in agreement, and they both watched how Nearly Headless Nick passed around glasses of wine, a large golden bow knotted around his neck, preventing it from falling off.

"Is Fred Junior here?" Harry asked. George shook his head.

"No, we decided to take a babysitter. I see Rose is enjoying herself." Hermione wrapped an arm around her daughter.

"Yes, she really wanted to come. She'll be attending Hogwarts soon, so she was really curious about the place. We won't be staying late, though, as I have to work at St. Mungo's tomorrow and Ron is very busy at the Ministry as well." Harry smiled at Hermione's little girl, who turned crimson upon being mentioned in an adult conversation. It was still two years until she could attend Hogwarts. They had left Hugo with Molly and Arthur, but Rose had insisted on coming along. Harry wasn't ready for children yet – much to Ginny's despise – but right now, he wished he had a little boy or girl to use as an excuse to leave early.

"There are so many people here. Found anyone you know?" George asked.

"No. But they'll be coming soon, I guess." Harry replied. He couldn't help but think that his parents would've been here too, if it weren't for Voldemort. And Sirius… and Remus. A lot of older people were here, who'd attended Hogwarts in their younger days, had seen their own kids off and were probably waving out their Grandchildren on the first of September.

The Great Hall became more and more crowded, and when Harry couldn't stand the rush any longer, he excused himself to Ginny, saying he needed some fresh air and exited the Great Hall. He made his way to the Entrance of the Headmaster's office, stopping in front of the Griffin. What could be the password McGonagall chose? Harry pondered for a while.

"Discipline." No movement in the Griffin. "Wisdom." Nothing. Now Harry started to feel stupid. "Bravery?" he asked, but the Griffin remained motionless. Maybe he was completely wrong and nowhere near the right answer. He would have to go back without talking to Dumbledore. Harry grumbled. He thought one last time. "Loyalty." Finally, the Griffin turned around, and Harry wanted to let out a cheer of victory. The stairwell was revealed and slowly started to move up.

Harry knocked before entering, even though he knew nobody would be there. It was out of habit and respect for the former Headmasters hanging on the wall. He opened the door slowly, feeling like an intruder. Harry instantly noticed the difference from when Dumbledore was Headmaster. The room was extremely neat, the closets closed, the desk arranged. Completely different from the big amount of weird spinning devices Dumbledore used to have. Most of the portraits were asleep. But when he looked at Dumbledore's he saw bright blue eyes looking at him intently from behind half-moon glasses, as if he had known all along that Harry would show up.

"Hi," Harry breathed. He instantly felt like a little boy again, overwhelmed by the wisdom in the eyes of the old man.

"Hello Harry. I believe the party is downstairs." It felt surreal to hear Dumbledore's voice, like he had never passed away.

"Yes, I know. I just wanted to say hi. Too many people down there anyway." He felt a little awkward, knowing he shouldn't be here.

"It's been a long time."

"Yeah." Harry stared at the long white beard and smiling blue eyes, a pang of sadness stabbing his heart. There were so many things lost in the past.

"I have once said it, and will say it again: Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and most of all, those who live without love." Harry offered the former Headmaster a watery smile. "I've been told you and Ms Weasley are still a couple." The thought of the Redhead lifted Harry's mood.

"Yes, we are. We'll be having our tenth anniversary soon, too."

"That's delighting news." The wrinkles around Dumbledore's eyes deepened.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked.

"You can call me Albus, Harry. I'm not a professor anymore."

"You'll always be my professor," Harry responded, before continuing: "But… Don't you think it's sad that everything changes? I can hardly recognize Hogwarts."

"When you've lived as long as I have, you'll start to realize that life is volatile. That's not necessarily a bad thing, or sad thing for that matter. It just means you have to enjoy every moment to its fullest and try to make the ones you truly cherish last as long as possible. For example Ms Weasley."

"Yeah. You're right. Being back just made me a little nostalgic. How are you holding up between all those portraits?"

"Rather good, if I might say so. The daily gossip keeps me informed about everything and I am really looking forward to the start of the new school year. Lots of new children to learn about."

"It'll be another magical year, there's no doubt. I'd better get going. They'll be wondering where I'm at." Harry turned around, walking up to the door.

"Harry." The Survivor turned his head again, with the door handle in his hand.

"The things we regret not doing will haunt us forever, even long after we die." Harry wondered what Dumbledore was referring to. Was he thinking about Grindelwald? Harry had read in _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore_ that he'd been in love with the man. Not that he would take Rita Skeeter's word over Dumbledore's. But maybe he had regretted leaving the wizard. A flash of blonde hair and white, equally aligned teeth flashed through Harry's head. He blinked a few times, trying to push the image away.

"Thank you," Harry saluted, feeling confused by Dumbledore's comment as well as the image on his retina. He closed the door softly behind him and descended the stairs again, still wondering about what Dumbledore had meant. Was he referring to Malfoy? Harry had always suspected Dumbledore to know about him and Malfoy. Pink lips and clouded grey orbs shot through Harry's mind. Fingers buried in silky soft blonde strands. Harry shook his head trying to get rid of the memories. He shouldn't be thinking about that now. It had happened eleven years ago and Harry still didn't know what it all had meant. Malfoy was history.

When he neared the Great Hall, loud music drowned out his train of thoughts and he threw himself into the festivities. It took a while to find his friends, but he then saw four red heads and headed over there, slipping an arm around Ginny's waist and placing a kiss on her cheek. He kind of felt guilty because he'd been thinking about Malfoy, even though Ginny couldn't know about that.

"Where've you been? You missed all the fun. There's a live band!" Ginny shouted. Her voice rang into his ear, too loud for his eardrums to take in.

"I can hear that. I needed some air!" Harry shouted back. He didn't like this party at all. They were hardly able to talk to one another.

"Look who decided to show up." The cold sneer alerted Harry's awareness, every pore of his body suddenly tensing.

"Malfoy."

"I see you're still dating the Weaslette," the former Slytherin said, gesturing to the arm still wrapped around Ginny's waist.

"Yes I am. Has someone been foolish enough to date you yet?"

"You mean apart from you?" Harry turned as red as a tomato, his eyes quickly checking for his friends' reaction. They wouldn't believe that, would they?

"Very funny," Harry responded sarcastically. Only then Harry noticed the man standing beside him. Realization struck when the man looked up. Oh no! Was Malfoy dating Cormac McLaggen? Harry rolled his eyes. "You couldn't get anything better than that? He chased after Hermione for an eternity," he growled. Malfoy was the only person who could bring the worst out of him in just a matter of seconds.

"No, unfortunately, the Harry Potters were sold out. People _change_ Potter." The double meaning of that sentence cut Harry like a knife. He quickly disguised his vulnerability with an angry scowl.

"Yeah, they certainly do," Harry replied coldly.

"What's that between you two?" Hermione stepped in. Ron hadn't paid much attention to their conversation, as he was chatting with George and assuming they were only quarrelling like in the old days, but Hermione had picked up something of the underlying message.

"Nothing, Hermione. Just Malfoy being his stupid old self, that's all."

"When are the two of you finally going to grow up?" Hermione questioned, rolling her eyes and turning away from them. She started talking to Rose, and Harry focussed on the blonde again.

"You know what, Malfoy? You've got some nerve, talking about personal stuff in front of my friends. But don't think for a second that I'm jealous of your stuck-up rich toy boy over there," he muttered between his teeth, just loud enough for the Slytherin to hear. He could feel Ginny tense next to him, trying to overhear him.

"Jealous? What would you have to be jealous of?" Malfoy questioned, a blank expression in his silver eyes. Harry grunted, an annoyed growl rumbling in his throat.

"Leave him alone Harry. The git is not worth it." Ginny pulled his arm and turned away from Malfoy. Their gazes locked just before Ginny could drag him away. "Just ignore him. He's always trying to get under your skin."

"Thanks, Gin," Harry replied, capturing her lips in a soft kiss. Harry tasted the sweet cherry of her lip-gloss, but there was something unusual there, something less feminine. Musky. A silver flicker triggered a memory of a blonde, slender figure and Harry cursed himself for thinking about Malfoy while kissing his girlfriend. He could curse himself right now.

After all this time, there was no way he could still have a soft spot for the blonde. Was the past catching up to him? Or was his mind just playing tricks because he was back at Hogwarts? _"The things we regret not doing will haunt us even long after we die."_

 **To be continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi! I hope you are all enjoying the story so far ;) This is chapter two. I think I'll update weekly, if that's okay? If anyone is interested in being a beta, let me know, cause I know this story could use it XD** **Plus, if you loved it, don't hesitate to review! 3**

Chapter 2

Harry felt out of place at the party. Even though Ginny hadn't left his side, he still wanted to get out of there. His glance kept straying towards the spot where Malfoy was standing. His long arm was draped around McLaggen loosely which made Harry's nose curl up in dislike. The brown-haired man was dressed in a dark blue shirt, accentuating his blue eyes. Harry had to admit the fool looked very handsome. Typically Malfoy to date someone with the shallowest personality. He ignored the green wave of jealousy and focussed back on Ginny.

"We'll be celebrating our tenth anniversary soon," Ginny smiled. Seamus and Dean had joined their group. There were eight people standing in a circle now, which was too much to Harry liking. Dean and Seamus were holding hands and that in particular seemed to take up a lot of Harry's attention. Seamus' thumb was drawing circles in the palm of Dean's hand, and Harry averted his gaze, feeling alarmed. Were they a couple? That couldn't be! He'd watched them grow up in Gryffindor together!

"But Harry still hasn't popped the question, have you, Harry?" Ginny finished her sentence. Harry forced a laugh and shrugged. Why did Ginny have to bring this up in front of all of their friends? Did she think that would change his mind?

"We're fine just the way we are. I don't want to rush anything," Harry responded. His tone was short as if to let her know not to take any further. Luckily for the Survivor, Dean decided to change the subject.

"Well we're officially engaged," he announced, lifting his dark hand. There was a silver ring on the fourth finger of his right hand and when he looked closely, Seamus had a matching one. Harry's eyes were wide with shock, but when he looked around the group, nobody was surprised, except for Ron, who had a disapproving tug around his mouth.

"You can't wait forever," Seamus added smiling at his fiancé, which made Harry want to kill him right there and then. The two men kissed each other, enervating Harry even more. A collective sigh of admiration went through the group. Harry didn't understand. He shouldn't care whether those two were together or not, because it really wasn't his business, but it kept nagging in the back of his head.

" _We can't be together, Malfoy. It's just not natural. We're two boys and everybody's going to talk behind our backs. I don't even know what we're trying to prove." Harry avoided Malfoy's grey orbs, looking at his feet while he spoke._

" _So that's it then?" Malfoys voice cracked with sadness._

" _Let's just pretend it never happened. That'll be easier for both of us." Harry's voice sounded a lot more determined than he really felt._

"You heard him," Ginny said. Harry had to try hard to keep focussed on the conversation. "You can't wait forever, Harry." But I can try, Harry thought grimly.

"We're just not ready yet. I'm going to be very busy in the shop and George still needs you for a while, right George? There won't be time for a wedding." George nodded, but Hermione shot him a questioning look. Harry knew he must sound very awkward. What was he trying to prove? Being with someone for ten years was reason enough to marry straight away. Something about marriage just frightened him. Perhaps he was reluctant to bind himself for eternity to one person. Somehow, Harry was having a hard time trying to figure out if it was the marriage that held him back, or the person. He looked to where Malfoy was standing and instantly wished he hadn't.

Malfoy was kissing McLaggen. Just when Harry was to tear his gaze away from the scene, Malfoy opened his eyes and looked straight at him, still kissing his boyfriend. He could see his pink tongue licking the red lips of McLaggen, asking for entrance. Startled, Harry turned his head again. He tried to ignore the warm tug in his abdomen. Hermione was still studying his face. Her eyes tried to follow the line that he'd been watching and Harry shifted uncomfortably. This evening was a lot worse than Harry had hoped for. And Hermione seemed to be on to something, which was never a good sign, especially if you didn't want her to find out all along.

"I don't know what you're afraid of, darling," Ginny whispered in his ear. Harry leaned in and captured her lips, to distract Hermione's attention. Secretly, he hoped Malfoy was the one watching now, but he didn't dare to open his eyes. He tried to put as much passion in the kiss. When he pulled away, Ginny had a surprised expression on her face. Great. Now he was trying to impress Malfoy by showing off his girlfriend.

"Can we just not talk about it right now?" he asked quietly. "I'm getting tired and have to be up early tomorrow. I'd better get some fresh air." He tried to sound as worn out as he could. The conversation had been about Harry for too long and he needed to get away. Before Malfoy could come his way. Before Hermione could ask why he was staring Malfoy. Before Ginny could ask why he'd kissed her that way.

"Again?" Ginny responded tiredly. But something about the way he'd said it made her crack. "You want me to come?" she asked, caressing his back supportively.

"No. You just enjoy yourself, Gin. I can't see Hagrid anywhere and I really wanted to talk to him."

"Okay, have fun. I'll be here." Harry started making his way through the Great Hall, happy to finally leave. The party reminded him of his fourth year, when he was attending the Yule Ball with Parvati. He'd been out of place there too and he'd felt sorry for Parvati, because he wasn't one of the handsome Durmstrang boys who could pull a few dance moves.

Right now he felt sorry for Ginny as well. He knew how much she wanted to get married. They had been together for so long now. Still, something withheld him, and his gut told him that marrying the sister of his best friend wasn't the right thing to do, no matter how long they had shared the same bed. In the meantime, he kept disappointing his girlfriend, and even his friends were starting to ask questions. He felt out of place when he was with the people he knew best. And that was an awful feeling.

Harry finally made it to the Clocktower and walked outside onto the Courtyard. He inhaled the fresh evening air and smiled. Finally alone. He walked towards the Wooden Bridge and headed for Hagrid's hut.

"Did you enjoy watching?" Harry nearly jumped as Malfoy started walking beside him. Merlin, why did that bloody idiot follow him here?

"What?!" Harry exclaimed, frustrated both by the question and the fact that Malfoy was with him outside, when he finally had some time for himself.

""I said: did you enjoy watching?" Malfoy repeated. His mouth formed the words delicately, nearly stopping Harry in his tracks. He suppressed the urge to lick his lips and scowled instead.

"I wasn't watching. I just happened to look when you were making out in the midst of a party," Harry retorted, feeling how his head slowly turned red. He should have known the prick would follow him. But at least this was better than making a fool out of him in front of all his friends.

"Oh, come on, Potter. Weren't you ever taught not to lie. I saw the desire in your eyes." As a matter of fact, Harry had been taught pretty well not to tell lies. The words would be carved in his hand forever.

"Yeah right, Malfoy. Been there, done that." Malfoy gaze pierced through him like a freshly sharpened sword.

"You can fool all your friends with your cheap talk, Potter, but you're not fooling me. I can tell you're jealous." Harry glared at the blonde. Jealous of his stupid wannabe hotshot?

"You wish I was. I could care less about you and your boyfriend, you know. How long have you been together? Three weeks?" Harry mocked. He crossed his arms in front of his chest defensively.

"No. About a year and a half, actually. That's a lot longer than you, wasn't it? At least Cormac knows what he wants." Cold shock rushed through Harry's veins. What had he expected? That Malfoy wouldn't be dating anyone else? It had been ten years, for Merlin's sake. Compared to Cormac, their two months were nothing. But then again, Harry'd had a girlfriend for almost ten years now, which was a lot more impressive than a year and a half.

"Oh does he now? What a beautiful ensemble you are!" Harry exclaimed in bittersweet sarcasm. "If you'd excuse me now, I'm headed over to Hagrid." But Malfoy wouldn't let go of Harry that easily.

"You're visiting your hairy friend?" Malfoy taunted. Harry turned around swiftly, his green gaze as murderous as the Killing Curse. He could hardly believe Malfoy was twenty-seven. He hadn't changed a bit. He was still the same nasty brat as he was in school.

"What did you call him?" he growled with anger. He clenched his fist, ready to punch the blonde in the face.

"You heard me, Potter. You seriously need to do something about your hearing, you know." Harry was inches away of smacking the annoying Ferret in the face. "Are you going to use Muggle violence on me?" Malfoy asked, sounding unimpressed.

"If that's what it takes to make you shut up, then yes." Harry snapped. Malfoy smiled – _he smiled_ and Harry nearly lost it. He wanted to strangle him right there.

"Why don't we duel, like the real wizards. If you win, then you can head over to your giant friend. If I win, I get to choose what happens."

"Whatever you say, Malfoy." Harry took out his wand. This would be a piece of cake. "But you'd better hurry. Your boyfriend might start wondering where you're at." Malfoy got ready in duelling position and Harry waited for him to attack.

" _Expelliarmus_."

" _Protego_! Are you gonna go easy on me, Malfoy?" Harry provoked, a challenging look in his eyes.

"Just warming up, Potter. There's no way I'm losing this battle."

"Same here, my friend. It isn't your birthday yet, Ferretface!" The blonde offered him a deep scowl, before lunging at him again.

" _Reducto_!" Harry shouted, pointing at the rock next to Malfoy. Debris scattered all around knocking the former Slytherin slightly out of balance.

" _Pertrificus Totalus_!" The spell got within an inch of hitting Harry.

" _Expelliarmus_!" The Survivor shouted. There was no way he was losing to Malfoy. He'd duelled Voldemort, for Godderick's sake!

" _Rictussempra_!" Malfoy shouted.

"Nice one, Malfoy. Is that all you got? _Impedimenta_!" Malfoy countered the spell, but Harry could see he was impressed by Harry's duelling skills. The two men quickened the pace, avoiding spell all around and casting counterspell.

" _Locomotor Wibbly_!"

" _Locomotor Mortis_!" Harry tried to catch his breath, hiding in the trees from the Forbidden forest, to shake Malfoy off.

"You should surrender, Potter! _Mimble Wimble_!" the blonde sneered, zigzagging through the trees to keep up with Harry.

"Never! _Colloshoo_!" Blue, white and red spells struck back against the trees. It got harder and harder to keep ahead of Malfoy, especially since the roots were scattered all across the forest floor. Harry tripped and fell backwards, all while getting hit with the Petryfying spell in the back. Damn.

"Now, Potter. I told you I wasn't going to lose. Here's why: as my price, I want you to kiss me. Compared to that, Hagrid was hardly worth fighting for." He released Harry from the spell and Harry sat up.

"Kiss you? Why would I do that?"

"Because you lost the bet, Potter. Been there, done that, remember?"

"I should have known McLaggen wouldn't satisfy your needs," Harry huffed nonchalantly. Nevertheless, his heart was racing, while he was sitting on the forest floor. Why did Malfoy want to kiss him? After all this time? Malfoy knelt down to be at Harry's level and leaned forward. Harry's heart skipped a beat.

Pink lips parted as they reached for Harry's mouth. And just before they touched lips, Harry's eyes fluttered shut, shutting out all of his surroundings, except Malfoy. The warmth of the blonde's presence sent a pleasurable shiver down his spine, the overwhelming feeling filled with memories of what used to be. Malfoy pulling him into an empty classroom to smother him with kisses; playing Quidditch together and ending up in a bundle of robes; being almost caught by Ron while making out between classes.

Malfoys fingers made their way under Harry's shirt, making Harry gasp for air, moaning as soft fingertips massaged his torso. Harry's nails grabbed Malfoy's silk shirt, pulling him closer. Malfoy's pink tongue slipped past Harry's lips, entering Harry's mouth without asking permission. Malfoy tasted like wine and something else that was very familiar. Something musky. The man was everywhere around him, his mouth, his fingers, his smell. It was too much to take in and then it was over.

Both men looked at each other, panting. Several minutes passed by, neither of them saying anything.

"What about McLaggen?" Harry then asked, too blown away by the kiss to move.

"He doesn't have anything to do with this." Malfoy's cheeks were pink, his lips redder than usual and swollen. He kept licking his lips, as if he wanted to taste Harry one more time.

"You just wanted to get back to me, is that it?" Harry asked grimly. There was no other way. Why in the Wizarding World would he have kissed him out of the blue like that if it wasn't to take revenge for the cruel way he had ended whatever they had had?

"Get back to you?" Malfoy questioned, quirking a perfectly shaped blonde eyebrow.

"For dumping you, you moron," Harry snapped. He turned his head away, feeling ashamed of himself and this whole situation he had gotten stuck in.

"No. I wouldn't call this revenge." Harry looked up, surprised. "Let's just say that you are looking way too hot in that green shirt, Potter." That seemed to set Harry's teeth on edge.

"Newsflash, it's been ten years, Malfoy. What we had is over." Harry wanted to disappear right there and then. He didn't know what this was supposed to mean. He felt hopeful, but had no idea what for.

"Did it feel like it was over? Because it didn't feel like that to me. You enjoyed it way too much for a heterosexual." Malfoy responded. The last word triggered a wave of anger.

"Oh yeah? You think one kiss can make up for ten years of loyalty in a relationship?" Harry shouted, getting up to give his words more strength.

"It can if that relationship is plain boring," Malfoy responded, getting up as well and towering over him. "Besides, your loyalty doesn't represent much since you just kissed me like your life depended on it!"

"I bet you won't tell McLaggen either!" He wasn't intimidated by Malfoys size, nor the closeness of his mouth. Rage was pulsing through his veins, caused by the fact that Malfoy had the nerve to question his loyalty to his girlfriend.

"Don't change the subject. I'm better than the Weaslette, always have been. You just dated her so nobody would notice you were gay and head over heel with no one less than a filthy Death Eater," Malfoys voice was shaky and Harry could tell he had thought about that a lot since they parted ways. A pang of regret shot through Harry's chest.

"You know being a Death Eater had nothing to do with that."

"But being masculine does, right?" Malfoy whispered, defeated. His silver eyes were filled with sorrow. "You can't hide behind a woman forever, Potter. I know you like me. I can see it in your eyes. I can feel it in the way you touch me. For Salazar's sake, I even see it in your pants, Potter."

Harry's tone was as cold as ice, a threatening look in his eyes as he spoke. "You got your part of the bet. Now get lost, Malfoy."

Malfoy had a beaten look in his eyes, but he quickly hid it and his expression became undefinable. He turned around swiftly and walked away slowly, without looking back. Harry buried his head in his hands, sinking back into the forest ground. What had he done? Why did he feel so bad about this? He was confused. What was happening to him? He wasn't sixteen anymore. Back then it was normal for him to experiment a little, but he was a grown man now. He knew what he wanted. _"At least Cormac knows what he wants."_ Malfoys voice rang in his head. " _You can't hide behind a woman forever!"_ Was that true? Was he hiding behind Ginny? Were his feelings for her just something he had made up to forget about Malfoy?

Malfoy… What had he been thinking, kissing him like that? He had McLaggen and Harry doubted the rich boy would be pleased to hear that his boyfriend was making out with no one less than the Boy Who Lived.

Harry could still feel Malfoy's pink lips on his. Soft, but demanding. It hadn't been just a regular kiss. It was passionate, intimate and urgent as if they were trying to catch up on the ten years they lost. It had felt like they were one. Frozen in time. Ginny had never kissed him like that, but that didn't matter now. He had kissed someone else. He had cheated on Ginny. And no matter what Malfoy said about her being just a disguise for his sexuality, you cannot be together for ten years and not love one another.

Guilt washed over Harry and he felt like crying. His eyes were burning because he was trying to hold it back. He didn't deserve her. She was always there for him, listening to him and all Harry did was keep his distance. She had wanted to marry him for a long time. She had wanted kids for some time as well. All he did was disappoint her. Postpone everything. And now he'd betrayed her. With a man. Malfoy, no less. He couldn't tell her. He just couldn't. He would have to make up to her.

He would prove Malfoy wrong. Ginny wasn't just a cover because he was too scared to admit he was gay. If he really had been gay, he would've stayed with Malfoy, that's for sure. The blonde was just a weird fling during Harry's way to adulthood. He was an adult now. He would prove to Ginny that he loved her and that he wanted to be loyal to her for the rest of his life.

He would ask her to marry him.

 **To be continued…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone! Hope you still like where it's going! If you'd like to share your thoughts, I love reading the reviews! A special thanks to Inuyashafan139 for the support, and making sure this story could happen! For now, enjoy!**

Chapter 3

Harry handed the cage to the customer and smiled. "I hope you enjoy. She's a really great bird. I bet you'll get along just fine." The woman smiled, thanked him again and headed for the door. Just then, the bell rang again, announcing a new customer.

"How can I help… _you!_ " Harry exclaimed, upon seeing the familiar smirk.

"Nice to see you too, Potter." Malfoy strode in like he owned the place.

"Looking for a pet?" Harry asked, his tone short. He didn't feel like being polite to the blonde, not after what happened at the party. It had been about a week since Hogwarts had celebrated its tenth anniversary, but Harry still hadn't forgotten about what Malfoy had done. "I got just the thing you need." He gestured Malfoy to follow him, while the former Slytherin started protesting.

"I'm not here to buy a pet," Malfoy started, but Harry cut him off. He wasn't going to lose this temper this time. He would play the game along.

"Here you have a wide range of Ferrets." Malfoy's gaze darkened. "It's a very smart race, then can be taught several tricks if you spend enough time together. I would recommend taking a white one," Harry explained, fake sweetness in his voice.

"I do _not_ want a ferret, Potter!" Malfoy exclaimed, a red blush creeping up his cheeks.

"No? I'm sure it would be a good match, Malfoy. You could even teach it how to bounce," Harry continued, venom dripping from his tone. He got the blonde right where he wanted him. Turns out the man didn't like to be cornered either.

"That's it, you bloody little fake Hero! I just came to see you, you moron!" Malfoy's face was red with a mixture of embarrassment and anger, and Harry expected his hair to start pointing up in every direction to put strength to his words.

"You just saw me a week ago," Harry noted dryly. He was the master of calm right this instant. He would not let Malfoy provoke him. Not like he did when he wanted to visit Hagrid.

"There's no way I'll be waiting another ten years to see you again, Potter. You may come across like you don't care, and for a second, I had fallen for it. But I know you are just trying to push me away, just like you did during our sixth year."

"Push you away? Malfoy, F.Y.I.: I'm engaged to be married." Malfoy's silver gaze travelled from Harry's face to his hand. Harry waved his fingers demonstratively. "I told you I was serious about Ginny. There's no need to question it."

"You asked her to marry you? Because I kissed you? Oh, Potter, you're even worse than I thought!" Malfoy exclaimed, exasperated.

"Not because you kissed me!" Harry snapped. His blood was starting to boil again and he looked around the shop. He was working. He shouldn't have to put up with this. "If you'll excuse me, I got work to do. I got a wedding to plan."

"Great. Go ahead and plan the biggest mistake of your life, Potter. You know, I was sixteen too. I was young, vulnerable. You hurt me, but now I'm older. Tougher. I know you were just scared and there's no way I'm letting you go that easily again."

"Save your breath. I'm not listening." Harry headed back to the counter to see if any real customers were waiting to be helped and tried to shake Malfoy off without success. He just followed him, grabbing his arm to spin him around.

"Maybe you'll listen after you kiss me," Malfoy growled deeply. He took a hold of Harry's shoulders and pushed him against the counter. The wood pressed against his lower back softly and Harry's breathing quickened. Malfoy grabbed Harry's face with two hands and leaned in, all while Harry tried pushing him away. He averted his mouth each time Malfoy came near, blood pulsing through his veins. Malfoy's breath was on his cheeks, his hands on his torso and Harry temporarily forgot about who he was. Where he was.

Malfoy captured his lips greedily, kissing him with a force Harry hadn't felt before. A hot wave spread from Harry's stomach to the tips of his fingers, giving him goose bumps all over his body. Malfoy's long fingers tugged Harry's hair, scratching his scalp as he did so. He forced open Harry's mouth with his tongue and hungrily touched tongues. He could feel the kiss heating his body from his head to the tips of his toes. Harry's mind started to cloud, too overwhelmed to put up a fight, surrendering to Malfoys strength. He'd been too slow to push him away and now he was everywhere. Against him. Inside his mouth. In his hair. In his pants. Alarmed, Harry pulled away.

"Hold it right there, you horny Ferret!" Malfoy's eyes were dark grey with lust. "I don't know what in Merlin's name you're thinking, but I'm not going to snog you inside my very own shop, thank you very much."

"You didn't put up much of a fight, though," Malfoy smirked. His eyes lowered to Harry's mouth, licking his lips again. Harry's lips were tingling, and probably red and swollen by the force of Malfoy's kiss, but he wouldn't be seduced. He was a grown-up. He wouldn't let his hormones tell him what to do. He spun the ring of his right hand to put strength to his own words and straightened his clothes.

"You caught me off guard. But if I would have a say in it, it wouldn't happen again." Harry tried to sound as confident as possible, but inside he felt like crying. The stream of emotions whirling through his head right now were confusing, but if he didn't sound firm, he would be giving Malfoy carte blanche.

"Then you won't have anything to say," Malfoy growled, leaning forward again. Harry put a firm hand on Malfoy's chest, making him keep his distance. How could something feel so right, but still be wrong?

"Stop, Malfoy. Don't make me hurt you again. Or more than I already did. It's better to leave things in the past. As they are." With those words, Harry averted his gaze and walked up to the counter again, trying to stop his mind from twirling. He could almost see the sad fog chasing away the ardour in Malfoys grey orbs. He could sense the disappointment radiating off the blondes body. But Harry didn't say anything. If he would turn around and face the man, he was sure that he'd jump right back into his arms, overloading him with kisses all over his beautiful face. He'd hug him close so he could feel the beginning of his beard rasp his cheeks. And then where would that leave them?

As if faith wanted it, the doorbell rang again and a customer entered the shop. Harry put on his professional salesman face and didn't give Malfoy another glance. He just heard the doorbell ring again as he showed various animals to a mother and her eleven-year old daughter and knew Malfoy had gone.

* * *

Harry turned around in the covers, letting out an irritated sigh. He found it impossible to go to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, silver eyes stared back at him. He repositioned his pillow and stared at the ceiling in the dark. Ginny's steady breathing started to annoy him, making it even more difficult to doze off, stress rushing through his body. He pulled the covers higher and turned over to his side, closing his eyes. At this rate he would be sleepwalking in the shop tomorrow.

He tried to clear his mind and was starting to fall into a slumber when suddenly he felt an arm wrapped around his waist. A crease formed between Harry's eyebrows. Was Ginny awake? Harry tried to fake that he was asleep, so she wouldn't bother him, breathing more deeply. The arm felt warm against his bare upper body. The fingers were long and slender and started to move in circles over Harry's chest. The hot breath against his cheek smelled like vanilla and something else. Something musky.

Harry leaned into the touch, moving his bum backwards in a spooning position. As the arm brushed his side, Harry could feel soft arm hair gently moving along his skin. The damp breathing in his ear and the warm hand on his abdomen made his heart speed up, pumping blood to his groin. Soft lips pressed in his neck, biting down on the sensitive skin, causing Harry to moan in surprise. He wanted to turn around and respond to the kisses in his neck but was somehow prevented, unable to reach out to the mysterious person behind him.

The hand lowered, caressing Harry's curls leading down to his crotch. The fingers slipped underneath his boxers. Harry moaned again, louder this time, as long slender fingers folded around his full length. "Shh, don't wake the Weaslette," a voice whispered in his ear. Harry bit his bottom lip to prevent himself from making any more noises as he gave in to the lust, muscles contracting against the touch. It didn't take long for Harry to lose himself completely. His mind went blurry and he completely forgot about his whereabouts as he rode waves of pleasure.

His body drained and his mind satisfied, Harry finally dozed off, the last thing on his mind were pink lips, whispering quietly in his ear. "I love you, Potter."

* * *

Harry plopped down onto the sofa after a long day of work and let out a delightful sigh. Ginny was cleaning the table with a few swings of her wand and then joined him.

"That was delicious, Gin." She kicked out her shoes and put her feet into Harry's lap, an appreciative smile on her face.

"You're welcome, love. Oh, I can't believe we are getting married." Her smile widened, her bright brown eyes lighting up with joy. Harry felt a pang of guilt. He heard Malfoys scolding sneer: _"You asked her to marry you? Because I kissed you? Oh, Potter, you're even worse than I thought!"_ He pushed away the memory of the blonde and focussed on his fiancée, sitting next to him. He massaged her skinny ankles, earning a soft moan. "I really don't know what took you so long though. What made you change your mind?"

"I don't know. Seeing all our friends at the Hogwarts party. I guess I've been too focussed on working in the shop and taking care of the animals to stop and think about what I really want in life. I think it's time I showed you that I really care about you," Harry responded. He thought about his words, replaying the sentence in his mind. Was marrying the girl he'd dated since Hogwarts what he really wanted in life? Or did Malfoy actually have a point in saying that he hid behind her to hide his true sexuality? The train of thoughts made Harry's head spin and he put the thought aside, focussing on the red-head in front of him.

She was a beautiful woman. Tall, skinny with a nice volume of breasts and a pale skin. Harry knew he was lucky to have her – not just because she was beautiful, but because he knew she was genuinely interested in him. She loved him with all of her heart. He leaned over and kissed her legs, slowly making his way up her thighs. Ever since he'd gone back to Hogwarts and since he'd encountered Malfoy, he'd been second guessing himself. He constantly recalculated every decision he'd ever made and started to ask questions at things that had seemed normal. Even kissing her wasn't the same anymore.

The presence of her warm breath, made him want to lean in closer, capturing her fruity lips with his own. The taste of Ginny in his mouth was familiar. He pressed harder against her lips, wanting more. More passion. More tongue. More strength. He wanted her to kiss him like Malfoy had kissed him in the shop. He pushed her down on the couch, tearing off her blouse as he went, revealing a black bra. He fumbled with the closing for a moment, then freed her from the cloth. He looked at his fiancée, her head thrown back, chest pushed forward and knew he should be on top of the world right now. She was utterly stunning.

Her creamy breasts were as soft as rose petals, and there was nothing wrong with them, at all. They however seemed dull and grey compared to the strong muscular chest in Harry's mind. A torso covered with a small collection of soft blonde strands of hair scattered around the line between two pink nipples. Harry tried to get rid of the toughs of Malfoy, knowing very well that Ginny was the one that should be on his mind. But he just didn't succeed turning himself on enough. Ginny folded her legs around Harry's hips, leaning forward to unzip Harry's pants.

"I want you, Harry. It's been a while." Her brown eyes were dark with longing, and Harry leaned forward, kissing her more fiercely now. Somewhere along the way, they both got rid of their clothes. He slipped his hands between Ginny's legs, slowly touching her femininity. She bucked her hips in pleasure linking her hand with Harry's free hand, squeezing as he quickened his pace. He noticed the softness of her hands, no sign of veins sprouting around her knuckles and making their way up her arms.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to focus on right then and there. He entered one finger, earning a gasp from the redhead. Her hand found her way up onto Harry's thighs, reaching for his erection. Harry's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't as turned on as he should be. In fact he should be much harder by now. Luckily, Ginny was too caught up in her own enjoyment to notice. Harry entered another finger, while Ginny stroked along the base in an unsteady rhythm.

Harry closed his eyes. In a flash, a slender finger slowly made its way up Harry's base, starting underneath at the bottom and ending at the head, slightly lifting up his erection. The finger followed Harry's love lines, caressing his inner thighs before reaching up to his groin again. Harry felt startled by the firm grip around it, getting harder under the touch. Soft strokes made him calm down again, relaxing against the other body. His heart was speeding up and his mind was getting blurry.

"Harry. I'm ready," Ginny moaned. Harry realised he had a full erection and Ginny was waiting for him to put on a condom. The jolt of realisation that he'd been more turned on by a memory of Malfoy's hands than the arousal of his girlfriend nearly killed Harry's mood again. But he tried his hardest to remain focussed on the sex, not wanting to disappoint Ginny when they'd come this far. He blindly put on the condom as Ginny wrapped her legs around his hips again. He leaned over to capture her mouth and pulled her closer.

Harry cursed himself. Not only for going to Hogwarts. Not only for putting up with Malfoy. But for being too damn juvenile to not be able to focus on his fiancée while sharing an extremely intimate moment. He kept trying not to think about how Malfoy would do him. Not thinking about Mafloy period. And just thinking about it, remembering the way it used to be sneaking around the Hogwarts' grounds, Harry felt his insides do a free fall. The manoeuvre took his breath away and left him shaken, filled with too much adrenaline. How had he suppressed this for so long?

He knew his heart was yearning for the blonde. His body craving to be touched by his hands. But reason told him that it wasn't the right thing to do. Ginny had always been there for him. Had always been enough for him. And that's the way it would stay.

He just hoped that she wouldn't find out that he was thinking about someone else while having sex with her. That he intentionally as well as unintentionally was thinking about a man. A certain Slytherin.

He needed to find a way to stop that. Otherwise everything he'd worked for could be ruined.

* * *

Ron and Harry were sitting on the terrace, enjoying the evening breeze. They each had one empty and one slightly dented beer standing in front of them. "Did you know Malfoy works at the Ministry?" Ron said, changing the subject from the boring Auror administration, suddenly spiking Harry's interest. The raven-haired man quirked an eyebrow.

"He does? What department?" He sat up straighter, offering his best-friend his full attention.

"I don't know, something with Potions or Medicine… Research type of stuff. He didn't say."

"I should've figured. It was the only subject he was any good at," Harry grunted sarcastically, trying to cover up his excitement about the news. Ron nodded his agreement.

"Turns out Snape didn't favour him in grades after all. He must be good if he can get a job there."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? You've worked there for almost ten years!" Harry complained, feeling as if Ron was holding something back on purpose. Did he have a hunch about his short fling with Malfoy? Did he want to prevent Harry from being with the blonde again by withholding information about the former Slytherin? Harry's eyebrows knot together. Maybe Ron told him now because he was engaged with Ginny and there was no way back.

The Red-head just shrugged. "I didn't know. He came up to me last week and that's how I found out. I'm not exactly sure why he wanted to know where you worked," Ron added thoughtfully, as if he regretted telling. "That foul brat must be up to something." He muttered. Realization struck Harry. So that was the reason why he'd turned up in his shop unannounced. "He didn't bother you while you were working, did he?" Ron questioned, taking another large sip from his beer.

Harry shook his head, spinning the bottle in his hand. "No, no. He was just interested in an animal," he lied. It was not that he didn't trust Ron. But he didn't want Hermione to find out that Malfoy had been to his shop _not_ to buy something. She most certainly would start asking questions, as she had witnessed him observing Malfoy during the party. Knowing how bright she was, she would definitely connect the dots.

"I don't get it though. We don't hear from him for years and then he comes bothering us at the party and shortly after comes talking to me at work," Ron said thoughtfully. Harry praised his friend for being such a scatterbrain. He didn't have the slightest clue what this really was about.

"Don't break your head on it. It's probably nothing." Harry waved the concern away, trying to avoid the real question.

"Maybe we should have left him in that Devil's Fire. The little scumbag. It was their fault anyway. Would have served him well." Harry ignored the surge of rage and indignation and tried to calm himself down as he spoke.

"Ron, that's not something you say about people. He would have been dead!" He tried to make it sound trivial, as if it were only the comment that disturbed him and not the fact that Malfoy was the subject of the matter.

"Give me a break! You sound just like Hermione," Ron whined, leaning back lazily. Either way, Ron's comment had flared up Harry's temper, and he could no longer sit quietly on the terrace with him. He rolled his eyes demonstratively and downed his beer in one large draught.

"Anyway. I must be off. Ginny and I have a lot of preparations to take care of if we still want to get married this year. I was more in favour of doing a garden party during the summer, but Gin wants to get married inside three months or so." Second lie. Since when did he lie so much?

"And for a reason. She doesn't want you to run off in the last moment," Ron barked, standing up as well and smacking Harry jovially on his back.

"As if I would," Harry muttered darkly. "I'll see you soon." Harry headed down Diagon Alley to go home, sunken in thoughts. How could he get so worked up about Malfoy? Ron was his best friend, but still Harry was on the verge of smacking his teeth out if he'd continued talking badly of Malfoy.

Harry left out a long sigh as he neared the shop. It had been an entire week since Malfoy had showed up in his shop, and he hadn't heard from him. Part of him had expected Malfoy to pop out of nowhere on the first occasion, but he hadn't returned. All the while, he'd stirred things up enough. Harry remembered things he'd locked away a long time ago. He relived moments that he thought he'd banished from his memory. Even sharing moments with Ginny wasn't the same anymore.

All he knew was that the damage had been done. It was as if he'd built his life on a wonky structure, and Malfoy had stepped in and pushed it over.

It was all falling apart.

 **To be continued…**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Harry was fumbling with his back pack, buying some time as the students left the room. He briefly locked eyes with Malfoy, pulling out a glistering cloth explicitly, trying to get the silent message across. Malfoy nodded his head slightly, acknowledging their understanding and left with the other Slytherins. When Harry left the Potions class room, all students had gone, except for one blonde boy halting at the end of the dungeon hallway.

Harry put on his invisibility cloak. He marched up to Malfoy, keeping quiet. The Slytherin stood there, waiting nervously, looking from left to right. The corner of Harry's mouth lifted into a grin. The blonde didn't know Harry was standing next to him yet. "What's taking him so long?" Malfoy muttered to himself. Harry blew some cold air into Malfoys neck, making him caress the spot where it hit him a frown sliding across his beautiful face. Harry stifled a giggle and cleared his throat.

"Ready?"

"How long have you been standing there?" Malfoy sneered.

"Long enough to inspect the soft hairs on your cheek, Mr. Handsome." Malfoy looked uneasy from left to right, knowing that when someone passed by, they'd think he was talking to himself.

"Stop fooling around and follow me Potter!" he hissed, scowling as he trotted away.

Both boys made their way down the bare dungeon hallways. "I'm glad we have spare hours together," Harry whispered in Malfoy's ear, earning a deep grumble as reply. Malfoy looked around nervously, clearly not at ease with an invisible Harry walking next to him.

They reached the entrance wall to the Slytherin Common Room. Malfoy stopped to say the password ( Salazar's Pride) as Harry pulled his robes playfully. "Woooo," Harry mocked.

"Stop it, you moron," Malfoy grunted, stepping in and gesturing to thin air to follow him. The Slytherin Common Room was almost deserted at this time of the day. Most students had classes and those who had a spare hour like Harry and Malfoy, spent it outside, benefiting from the early summer sun, basking near the lake. There were two first years playing Snap Poker in the corner of the room and another fifth year student was running around collecting books, apparently late for her class.

"Can I take my cloak off now?" Harry asked, a little louder than before, trying to get under Malfoy's skin.

"No, you can't!" Malfoy grumbled between his teeth. "You'll have to wait until we're in the dormitory."

"You don't like hanging out with an invisible man?" Harry giggled, groping Malfoy's behind as they went on to the boy's sleeping quarters.

"Keep your hands off," Malfoy snapped. "And you're not a man, Potter – at least not while you're behaving like a four-year-old." Clearly Malfoy wasn't enjoying himself, which made it all the more fun for the Gryffindor. As they entered the dormitory, Harry threw off his cloak and hugged the blonde tight.

"Merlin, I missed you!" Harry exclaimed. Malfoy was taken off guard by Harry's sudden outburst. He'd probably expected him to taunt him a little more.

"What's gotten into you?!" He exclaimed, so startled that he didn't hug Harry back. But as Harry let go of the blonde, he saw a wide grin splitting his beautiful face in two. A pink tongue seductively made its way over Malfoy's lips, making Harry jump forward again, kissing the blonde as he tried to catch his tongue. "I still have to show you the room," Malfoy brought out between kisses. But Harry couldn't be interested in the room. Apart from the colours, it was the exact same design as the Gryffindor room. He looked around hastily and breathed: "Where's the bed?"

Malfoy pointed towards one of the emerald green beds and pulled Harry forward, knocking his knees against the bed so he toppled over. They ended up on the four poster bed in a bundle of red and green robes. Harry captured Malfoy's lips again. He felt comfortable under Malfoy's weight, kissing him more urgently this time. The blonde seemed to be everywhere.

His slender fingers made their way under Harry's shirt, pulling the buttons on his way and undid the tie Harry'd worn for today's class. Malfoy deepened the kiss, his tongue licking past Harry's lips asking for entrance. Harry eagerly opened his mouth, wanting Malfoy to be everywhere. In a blink of an eye Harry's pants came off, while Harry was still struggling with Malfoy's blouse, feeling wonderstruck by Malfoy's presence.

Harry got goosebumps all over his body as their tongues intertwined and he bucked his hips forward, craving more. He couldn't tell the end of his body apart from the beginning of Malfoy's. The blonde was panting heavily and stripped off his own clothes as Harry was failing miserably to do that himself. When Malfoy was hovering over him, completely naked, Harry's heart skipped a beat. He ran his fingers across the soft porcelain skin, holding his breath at the softness underneath his fingertips.

"Malfoy, please," Harry breathed. He wanted to feel the boy. He wanted to _be_ him. He scratched his arms in a gesture to pulling him closer

"What's wrong, Potter? You don't like my bed?" Malfoy's voice was deeper than usual, filled with lust.

"The bed's perfect," Harry grumbled, eyes big with anticipation. "I want you Draco." Malfoy's silver eyes stared down on him sharing the same desire. As the blonde leaned forward again, Harry lost himself in another kiss.

* * *

Harry and Ginny got to bed, crawling deep under the covers. Before Harry made himself comfortable, he turned off the lights with a short 'Nox'. Ginny's cold feet were pressed against his, and Harry supressed a hiss of annoyance, wanting to pull his feet away into the warmth. He turned around to face his girlfriend – fiancée – and smiled a half smile. She tucked her head against his chest, her long hair tickling his bare skin.

"Night, Gin." Harry whispered. He dreaded going to sleep. Two weeks ago, Malfoy had barged into his shop and into his life. A quarter later he'd left without saying goodbye, without letting Harry know he would ever return. The only thing he'd left were these dreams. Memories. He'd had at least fourteen dreams about Malfoy in that time span, equalling at least one dream per night. He crossed his fingers, hoping he would have a dreamless sleep, and above all, that he wouldn't talk in his sleep.

"Goodnight, Harry," Ginny mumbled in reply. Her hands slid around his waist, caressing his back in circles. Harry's eyes fluttered shut. Ginny's hand slid lower, playing with the waistband of his boxers. She pressed her hips forward, skin touching skin. Harry's breathing sped up. He didn't feel like making love right now, but the thought of being taunted by another dream and the fact that his body was already preparing changed his mind. Maybe having intercourse would make him dream about Ginny, instead of Malfoy. He leaned in to capture her lips, then pushed her over into the pillows.

He wanted to start stripping off her clothes, laying her body bare, but Ginny was quicker. He looked down on her, waiting as she took of her night gown and her underpants. There was nothing rushed about it and somehow he didn't like it. The desire that had slowly been building up in his abdomen was disappearing again, waiting as Ginny prepared. This was not going how he wanted it to go. This was not the way it would be with Malfoy. Malfoy would ravish him even before he had the time to breathe. Malfoy would… Harry stopped himself. He shouldn't be thinking about Malfoy right now. He needed to focus on Ginny.

She lied down again, and opened her legs, so Harry could position himself between. He bent over her, kissing her on the lips and caressing her now naked body, all while trying to get his erection back up. He could feel her arousal growing, so he focussed on that to get himself going again. It was difficult. His thoughts kept spinning, unable to just focus on having sex. Ginny seemed to notice that he wasn't ready yet and moved her arm between her legs, stroking his masculinity. The desire Harry had felt slowly returned. When it had, Ginny let go of him and repositioned her legs.

He pulled her hips closer and slowly entered. The warmth was overwhelming and Harry threw his head in his neck, closing his eyes. He slowly started moving, muscles contracting in a steady rhythm. His hands slid down a flat stomach, leading to a stripe of blonde pubic hair. He lowered his hands, taking hold of a full size erection. He was thrusting more intensely now, moving up and down his hand in the same rhythm. He could hear a moan coming from the person beneath him, deep and raw. Harry's breathing became irregular, his arms started trembling. The heat was building in the room, sweat appearing on Harry's forehead.

Nearing the edge, Harry opened his eyes and stared into clear grey ones. Blonde eyelashes, a pointy nose and pink lips. The image had gone just as fast as it came, leaving Harry confused. He flinched, the lust drained from his body by the sudden shock. "What's wrong?" Ginny asked. Harry focussed on her, blinking a few times. The eyes were no longer silver, but the familiar bright brown. It had only been a figment of his mind. He shook his head, forced a smile and continued where he left off. He wasn't motivated enough anymore, and his head was filled with thoughts about Malfoy that it was impossible to get a full erection again. After a couple more thrusts, he faked his orgasm along with hers and lied down next to her, quickly getting rid of the condom, so she wouldn't notice.

Ginny sighed, cuddling against him, and Harry pretended to be very tired. "I love you Harry," she whispered, before dozing off.

"I love you too," Harry mumbled back, wondering whether that was true. He felt bad about faking and bad about unwantedly thinking about Malfoy. Could he still love her if even though he kept fantasizing about Malfoy? Of course he could. Love didn't just go away like that. Still, he felt bad about saying it. Bad about the whole evening. He shifted in bed restlessly, his thoughts spinning, unable to fall asleep. The fact that he hadn't orgasmed, didn't help either. There was still a lot of tension in his abdomen. Thinking about slender fingers wrapped around his cock would get it up in no time. Slowly, Harry's thoughts went back to the intensity of his fantasy about Malfoy. He stopped his hand from reaching down to his groin, as Ginny was still lying half on top of him. There was no way he could finish himself off without waking her.

Harry exhaled to relax himself. He listened to Ginny's steady breathing and managed to doze off into a slumber.

* * *

Harry plunged through the puddles scattered across the path. Rain was pouring down steadily, but that did not withhold him from going to Hogsmeade. Most students had stayed inside the castle, but the few that had come to Hogsmeade were sheltering in the Three Broomsticks enjoying their hot chocolate. Harry was nearing the Shrieking Shag now, and he slowed down his pace when he saw Malfoy standing there waiting for him, shoulders hunched against the cold rainfall.

That scenery made him think about something. His first time in Hogsmeade was during his third year, when he had the snow fight with Malfoy. The Dursleys had refused to sign his permit and professor McGonnagal refused to favour him, so he wasn't even allowed to be there. His cape had come off a little, and that had almost got him caught. An evil smile crossed Harry's features. He bent down and filled his palms with solid mud, forming a ball. Angling his arm, he launched the projectile into Malfoy's direction and it splashed right on his thick coat. Malfoy jumped back with a surprised yelp and looked around to find the culprit.

Harry stepped out with another mud ball, ready to fire. "Head's up, Malfoy" He shouted. Malfoy avoided the ball easily - quickly understanding that he was under attack - and ran forward, bending over to scrape some wet soil off the ground as well. The first splash hit Harry right across his face, but when he'd wiped the dirt out of his eyes, he saw that he'd hit Malfoy against his shoulder. Wet earth flew around so fast that the heavy rain couldn't wash it off quick enough. When another ball slapped Harry in his neck, he sprinted forward and tackled Malfoy to the ground.

"What did you attack me for?" Malfoy complained, trying to get rid of the dirt. Harry smiled, even though they both were messy as hell. He slid off Malfoy, sitting down next to him, ignoring his trousers being soaked on the ground.

"I wanted to surprise you. You didn't like our fight?" Harry asked in an angelic voice. He reached forward and smeared the mud around Malfoy's coat some more, to taunt the blonde.

"You're in so much trouble right now, Potter. You have no idea," Malfoy groused, looking at his clothes miserably.

"I like you when you're angry Malfoy. And dirty." Harry placed a kiss on Malfoy's cheek, rubbing off some of the dirt, but only making it worse as both Harry's hands and Malfoy's cheek were plastered. The rain kept bucketing down and made the mud soft, causing it to drip off them in long trickles.

"You're going to clean this mess up, Potter." Harry, who'd been taught a very simple cleaning spell by none other than Nymphadora Tonks, just shrugged and cleaned them both in a matter of seconds. He cast a water repelling charm and a drying charm and before Malfoy could protest any more, they were lying next to one another, warm and comfortable, oblivious to their surroundings and the rain shower.

Malfoy leaned in closer and kissed Harry on his lips. "Just admit that you liked the mud fight," Harry whispered against his lips. Malfoy smiled, lips curling up, brushing Harry's face. The gesture filled Harry's heart with warmth.

"I'll make you pay, Potter. Sooner or later you're going to regret this." Harry shrugged, waving away Malfoy's threat and kissed him again, burying his hands in Malfoy's soft hair. They broke apart, and Harry chuckled.

"I'd like to see you try, Ferret Boy."

* * *

Harry woke up feeling nauseous. Ginny was still sleeping next to him and Harry gently pushed back the covers as he got up. He looked out the window, sunken in thoughts. He had dreamed about Hogwarts. About making out with Malfoy in Hogsmeade, in particular. He closed his eyes, forcing his mind to stop twirling. He should've known that he'd dream about Malfoy again. These dreams about Malfoy kept haunting him. He tried to go to bed with a blank mind, but he still dreamed about the former Slytherin. There were memories among them, but also fantasies, things that never happened. With each passing day, they became more vivid.

There was nearly no moon tonight, giving way to the stars to shine. Harry had to be honest with himself. Ever since he met Malfoy again, he hadn't been the same. Not with Ginny. Not with his friends. Not even with himself. There were days when he secretly hoped he would have dreams about the man. However, the memories were bittersweet, knowing he woke up in a different life, without Malfoy by his side. He woke up next to the sister of his best friend, someone everyone had expected him to be with.

No one expected him to be with Malfoy. No one ever came up to him and asked: "Hey, why didn't it work out with Malfoy? You two looked cute together!" Harry had always kept his romance a secret, afraid of what people might think. And maybe that had been his mistake. Maybe lying about it had driven them apart. It had made him wonder whether it was natural to be together. And now he was left in this life he'd chosen. His life with Ginny. Thinking this way and feeling this way only increased his sense of guilt, as he truly worshipped his girl. He just couldn't deny any longer that he had no feelings for Malfoy.

Was he in love with two people at the same time? Was that possible? Harry sighed, the dark sky giving no answer to his questions. It had been over a month now, since Malfoy showed up in his shop and it wasn't very likely that he would return. Not after Harry rejected him. Twice. Three times taken into account that he'd dumped him back in Hogwarts. Harry would have to go find him himself. He couldn't let things the way they were. The longer it took, the more miserable he felt. He needed closure. He needed answers. An explanation. Something. Anything that would stop his mind from pondering over the same facts, over and over again.

Malfoy would have to confess that everything he'd done was just a joke and then they both could continue with their lives. Right? Harry sighed deeper, knowing very well he was lying to himself. He looked back to where Ginny was lying, a knot forming in his stomach. She turned around in the covers, wriggling against her pillow and sunk further into her dreams. He watched her, guilt flooding his heart, yet again. How could he do this to her? How could he feel so confused by just one kiss – well two kisses. But still… Did all those years with her mean nothing? All these colourful memories paled when compared to the short relationship he'd had with Malfoy. How was that fair? How could he still be in love with Malfoy after ten years?

Harry took a determined breath. He needed to cut the knot. Malfoy had Cormac, he had Ginny. This thing needed to be sorted out. With the satisfying thought that he'd solve this ongoing problem for once and for all, he crawled back in bed and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Harry made sure Ginny was definitely gone and then went to their chimney. He threw some Floo powder and stepped into the green flames, shouting loud and clearly 'Draco Malfoy's quarters'. He ignored the smoke in his lungs and the nausea washing over him as he tumbled across the network of chimneys. For a moment, he was afraid that he'd step out at the wrong chimney, but then he noticed he was slowing down and saw a flicker of the Apartment and knew that would be Malfoy's place.

The stepped out, looking around cautiously. "Malfoy?" he called out. He patted off the dust off his shoulders. He heard the clattering of cutlery in what must be the kitchen and stepped around the coffee table, making sure he didn't dirty the thick, wool cable carpet.

"Malfoy," Harry called out again, as he neared the kitchen. The clattering stopped and Malfoy appeared in the doorway. Harry froze. He'd dreamed so much about the man that it felt weird standing in front of him like that. His heard was pumping in his ears. This was the first time he felt nervous about all this.

"What are you doing here?" The blonde asked sounding baffled. Harry shrugged, then asked. "Is Mc Laggen around?" Malfoy neatly folded the kitchen towel he was holding in his hands, a frown rippling his forehead.

"Why?" Malfoy inquired, quirking a perfectly blonde eyebrow. He laid the towel on the table and put his hands on his hips.

"Because I don't want him to know I'm here," Harry explained. He had no idea how Malfoy would react. If only he had taken the possible reactions into account, he would've been prepared for this. Whatever ' _this'_ was.

"No. He's out flying with some of his friends." Malfoy sighed and turned around, ready to head back to the kitchen.

"Like I care," Harry grumbled and took a step in Malfoy's direction. "I don't get you Malfoy, I thought you were going to stalk me!" The frustration he'd felt for the past month was audible in his voice.

"Do you want me to stalk you?" Malfoy asked. He sounded tired. Tired of what exactly?

"No!" Harry exclaimed, throwing his hands up irritably.

"Then what's the problem? You're not going to tell me that you miss me, are you?" Malfoy's tone was cold and fake amused, with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"I don't get you, Malfoy! First you constantly want to snog me and then you ignore me. Do you know how hard it was to find you here?" Malfoy pulled an eyebrow again. Then a soft smile appeared on his lips, washing away the anger and uncertainty that had been there moments before.

"I can't believe you actually tried to find me," Malfoy said, happily surprised. "So, I take it you blew off the wedding with the Weaslette?" Malfoy was facing him again and looked at him expectantly.

"No. You don't understand, Malfoy. What we had is over. It's in the past. We both have our lives now and it makes no sense that we give up on everything we've worked for the past ten years, just to chase some fantasy that hardly lasted two months." Instantly, the atmosphere changed, the tension was back.

"Some fantasy? What we had was just a fantasy to you?!" Malfoy spat, disbelief and hurt written all over his face. Harry instantly felt sorry and wanted to apologize, but he knew better. He had to go through with this. Malfoy would thank him later for not making it any more difficult than it already was.

"You have Mc Laggen, Malfoy. You can't do this to him," Harry said matter-of-factly.

"Cormac is my business, not yours. And don't change the subject. This has nothing to do with Cormac," Malfoy sneered in response.

"Oh no? Because last time I checked you were cheating on him with me."

"You were cheating on Ginny too, but that's not the point. The point is that you keep talking down on what we had, like you wish it never happened. Did you even love me, Potter?" Tears were falling from his silver eyes, slowly trickling down his cheek. His distant mask had fallen off. Now the real Malfoy was exposed. Harry got a lump in his throat.

"O-of course I did. That's not what I meant… I-" Harry stammered. How could Malfoy question his feelings? Just because he couldn't let it happen again, didn't mean that it hadn't been real.

"Then what did you mean, Potter? All I can see is that you came here to rub it in that you don't care about me anymore. And that's the exact reason why I didn't come see you. The way you kissed me, I just thought you still cared about me, you know? There was so much passion, so many emotions put into one kiss and-" Malfoy paused looking at Harry with teary eyes, desperation written all over them.

"I don't understand," Harry managed to bring out. " You have Mc Laggen," he repeated, words hardly louder than a whisper. "You can't possibly…"

"You really don't get it, do you? I never loved Cormac as much or as deeply as I loved you. Cormac is just someone I love because I can't get you. Nobody compares to you, Potter. I have ordered myself to stop being crazy about you, but that's not the way it works. When I saw you at the party, all the feelings that I had tucked away instantly came back. If I could, I would stop loving you, because it simply hurts too much, but I can't. I tried, but I can't. I still love you, Potter. But I know that you don't love me. Not anymore. So would you please leave me alone now?" With those words Malfoy turned around and disappeared into the kitchen.

Harry faltered, staring at the spot where he'd left in disbelief. Harry was paralysed. This entire moment was so surreal. Mafloy still loved him… After all this time he'd confessed that Harry was the only one. Hurting the blonde felt like cutting himself open with a knife.

For a few moments, Harry just stood there, not knowing what to do. If he went up to Malfoy, the blonde would explode with all the emotions that had sparked off him. If he left, he would blow his last chance to make it up to him. That was what he wanted, right? Being there for Ginny, and Ginny alone. Harry closed his eyes in horror. He couldn't do it. He couldn't leave Malfoy right there.

He stepped into the kitchen, and saw Malfoy standing hunched over the sink, tears streaming over his face. Harry wanted to excuse himself, but he knew that there was nothing he could say. Tears were burning behind his eyes and he felt sorry for everything he'd said. He then ran up to the blonde, wrapping his arms tightly around him, hugging him from the back.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered. "I didn't mean a word about what I said. I was trying to convince myself that we didn't need each other, because that would have been easier. If you'd have told me that you didn't love me either, I could've tried to move on. I could have learned to live with the fact that everything I felt for you wasn't mutual. But you…" Harry fell silent for a moment, fighting back more tears as he held Malfoy tight. He could feel him shake with tears, waves of sorrow passing through his entire body. "I love you too, Malfoy. I loved you back in Hogwarts and I still love you. I never stopped, even though I tried to convince myself that I did. Loving you isn't easy, and somehow I was scared of choosing the hard road."

Malfoy turned around in Harry's arms, hugging him close, tears wetting Harry's shirt. They stood there for a while and then Malfoy looked up at Harry. His silver eyes were red and puffy from the tears, but apart from that, they were the clearest silver Harry had ever seen.

"Potter. You're the only one who can reduce me to this." His blonde eyelashes were stained dark from the tears.

"Don't say that, Malfoy. I'm sorry about everything. I.."

"Hush." Malfoy brought in, interrupting Harry by putting his index finger against Harry's lips. "I knew you were lying. I know you better than you think, Potter. I just couldn't stand losing you to the Weaslette again. I'm so jealous of her. All the time she has got with you. Nothing can make up for that."

"We'll make it up," Harry whispered, placing a wet kiss on Malfoys pink lips. "I know we will. It's not how long you've been with someone, but how much you've loved that person during that time. And I always loved you more. Just… Don't force me to give up Ginny. Not yet."

"Okay. At least we've got one thing sorted out." Malfoy flashed his old smirk at him.

"Yeah?"

"I'm still too hot to resist," Malfoy said, a smug smile pulling up the corner of his mouth. Harry smacked him in the chest.

"You're unbelievable!" But Harry was smiling, and just like that, all the uncertainty, all the tension and all the anger was gone. It felt like he was where he needed to be.

 **To be continued…**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"George! It's been too long!" Harry entered the Joke shop, arms wide open. The redhead behind the counter looked up from some parchment he was writing on, the frown on his forehead disappearing when he saw Harry.

"I thought so too, Harry. You better have a good reason for not stopping by. We're practically neighbours." The twin brother gave him a friendly smack on his back, returning his smile. For a moment, Harry felt strange hugging the man, as it brought a flashback of the blonde, but then Harry relaxed. It was only George.

"I'm sorry," Harry brought out, scrounging his face up apologetically. He couldn't help but feel guilty. All this trouble with Malfoy had caused him to neglect his friends a little bit, and George had become a really good friend through the years. George's smile didn't waver, instead his brown eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Not to mention that your soon to be wife helps out in here."

"Well, that's kind of what I wanted to talk about, to be honest." Harry sighed and crawled on top of the counter, looking at George with a troubled expression. George quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? You're getting the wedding shivers? Cold feet?"

"Maybe. Well. No. Not exactly, but… I was just wondering. Is it possible to love two people at the same time?" George frowned at the strange question, pondered about an answer for a while then spoke.

"Of course it is. You can love a lot of people, but all in a slightly different way." George leaned down on the counter, looking at Harry intently, trying to read what was behind his words. Harry bit his lip. That wasn't the answer he had hoped for. He knew that George had only slightly misunderstood, but Harry wasn't sure he dared to point out the difference. He averted his gaze, and George gave him a friendly nudge, nodding at him to continue.

"B-but what if I loved two people the same way?" Harry questioned, fumbling with his hands. He observed his feet as if his shoelaces had started changing colour, still not meeting George's eyes, afraid that he might not like what Harry was trying to explain. "Say… Romantically."

Again there was a short pause before George replied. "Harry. I think I understand, but in my opinion there must still be a difference. There's always a difference because they are different people, you see. You just have to find out what that difference it and what it means."

Harry looked puzzled. "So, you're saying that if I'm into both of these people, I should find out what I like about them and what not?"

"Not exactly, Harry. Listen, I get that you're confused. That's completely normal. I take it I shouldn't tell anyone you're dating these two people?" Harry shrugged sheepishly, knowing very well he was talking to the brother of both his fiancée and his best friend. He was grateful that George had used the word people as well, as it would become even more awkward than it already was if Harry had to explain about his mingled sexuality.

"Yes?" he answered, but it sounded more like a question.

"Well, when you're dating, you'll get to know these people better, or you know them already for all I know. You'll have to find out for yourself who it is that you love best or most. Who do you want to spend the rest of your life with? This might be difficult, but in your heart, there's only one true love. Pick that one."

"O-okay." Harry stuttered, feeling as if someone had just squeezed all the juice out of his brain. "I think I get it." George had always been a smart man, even though he and Fred never had the highest grades in Hogwarts. The twins were brilliant, and Harry was really thankful for George's wise words of advice. It was like talking to Dumbledore, but with less mysteries. A small pang of sadness shot through his chest, but Harry pushed it aside when George nudged him.

"But Harry, don't forget that you'll have to make a choice, or you'll end up losing them both. Okay? Don't take too long."

"Don't take too long or you'll hurt them both," Harry recapitulated. "Good. Got it. You're sure you're not angry with me, George?" Harry looked up from his hands for the first time, a pleading look in his eyes.

"No, why would I be?" George frowned. Harry swung his legs back and forth against the counter nervously. He cursed himself for starting this conversation, but he knew he could trust George.

"Well… Because of Ginny." George lay a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Harry, don't start. You need to live your life. Make the decisions because _you_ want to make them and not because they will make someone else happy, either that be me or anyone else."

"Okay. It sounds really easy when you put it like that. Why does everything have to be so complicated, though?" Harry exclaimed miserably, hunching his shoulders.

"Life's a bitch at times. But Harry, just one little thing, why did you keep using 'they and 'person'?"

"Er…" Harry stammered, not wanting to answer the question. If he wasn't red before, he certainly was now. He had tried his hardest to avoid this very question. He fumbled with his fingers trying to buy some time.

"You could have just said, 'women', or 'girls' or 'her', you know what I mean." Harry looked at George, knowing very well what George was referring to, and knowing that George knew that _he_ knew what George was referring to.

"I guess I just didn't think of it," Harry shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. George gave him an intense look then shook his head in disbelief, as if he knew that the battle was lost and Harry wouldn't reveal anything more.

"Just remember you have to live with your choices. Nobody else has to, only you." At that, a smile appeared back on Harry's face.

"You're great George. Really." He said, hugging the man before jumping off the counter.

"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do now, abandon me again? Bye, Harry! See you in four weeks!" Harry chuckled as George veered up and waved at the entrance door, saluting an imaginary Harry.

"No, I won't. I promise. You're the best, George. You really are."

"It's fine. Go on, tag along. I know you gotta be somewhere."

* * *

Harry was walking down Diagon Alley, holding hands with Draco Malfoy. He hadn't been able to sleep that night, so he'd decided to go for a walk. He'd quietly crawled out of bed, careful not to wake Ginny and had made his way down the stairs without making any noise. Upon leaving the shop, he'd sent Malfoy a message, asking if he could come over.

Much to Harry's surprise, he'd only walked up his way to the closed Florean Fortesque IceCream Parlour when he saw a particular blonde emerge from the Leaky Cauldron and make his way towards Harry. He was wearing a long grey coat, which looked very expensive.

"What brings you here?" Malfoy asked, stopping beside him, quirking an eyebrow, hands buried in his pockets. It sounded like the former Slytherin hadn't expected to find Harry there.

Harry shrugged sheepishly. "Couldn't sleep. You?"

"I was awoken by an annoying stag trying to deliver a message. I thought you were in some kind of trouble, Potter. Don't frighten me like that again," Malfoy scolded, his silver eyes watching him reprimandingly. Harry felt himself go red to the roots of his hair.

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to- " Harry started, guilt washing over him in big tsunami waves, but Malfoy cut him off.

"It's alright. I'm glad I came. Want to take a walk together?"

"Yeah," Harry answered sheepishly, still feeling kind of foolish for scaring his boyfriend – Harry still felt weird calling Malfoy that – but nevertheless they were officially dating. They started marching together, and Harry's face lit up in a grin. In fact, he only sent the stag because he wanted to take a walk together.

"Are you still wearing your pyjamas under there?" Malfoy inquired, pulling a perfectly blond eyebrow. Harry's eyes grew as round a saucers, momentarily losing the ability to speak.

"I- er… Aren't you?" he stuttered. Malfoy shook his head in disbelief, a crooked grin visible in the twilight.

"I got dressed. That's so typical of you," Malfoy said fondly. "You used to wake me up all the time, at Hogwarts, remember?" Malfoy spoke, as their fingers linked with one another. They were making their way down the deserted streets of Diagon Alley. Harry smiled in reply.

"Yeah, I do. You'd always get pissed off by it and started calling me names. I loved getting on your nerves," Harry chuckled. Malfoy threw him a dark look, which only made Harry smile wider.

"You didn't ask me here to mock me, did you Potter?" Malfoy's gave him an angry look, but Harry could see the mirth in Malfoy's eyes.

"No. I just wanted some company." Harry swung Malfoy's arm a little as they strolled on, fingers intertwined.

"Should've woken the Weaslette," Malfoy huffed, pouting his lips in displease.

"I wanted you to keep me company, you moron!" Harry exclaimed, squeezing Malfoy's long fingers and pulling the man closer. Malfoy's hips met Harry abdomen and Harry wrapped both his arms around Malfoy's shoulders.

Malfoy bit back a smile while responding. "I know, silly. I still can't believe it sometimes, though." Harry looked up at the man. "You know, you and me, being together again. It's so surreal. Like I'm living in a dream and from which you can't wake up."

"Let me assure you this is very real. But I have to admit, I never imagined this would happen either. If you would have told me a year ago I would be dating you right now, I'd have laughed myself into madness. But look at us," Harry said, ceasing the opportunity to observe the man head to toe. "We're both meeting in secret, our partners lying asleep in our beds. I mean – You see these kinds of things in movies, you know. You don't really think they'd happen to you."

"Movies?" Malfoy asked dryly. Harry suppressed a wave of frustration at Malfoy's ignorance, releasing him from the hug while rolling his eyes.

"Muggle movies. They play that on the television?" Harry asked. When Malfoy still looked at him like Harry'd grown two twin heads, Harry gave up. "Pure blood," he muttered darkly.

"What are telivisien?" Malfoy asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"Merlin," Harry exclaimed, rolling his eyes. "Did you ever bother to take Muggle Studies?" Harry questioned in disbelief, throwing his hands in the air dramatically. They were now just standing in the middle of the street, a few feet from the Gringotts bank, right in front of the Magical Menagerie.

"Why would I? We've got enough Mudbloods mingling our race as it is," Malfoy drawled, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Malfoy!" Harry grunted. "Don't you dare-" he growled threateningly. Malfoy quickly raised his hands in defence.

"Okay, okay. Forgot you were a Muggle lover." The look Harry gave him made the blonde recoil again and say in a small voice : "Fine, fine. I'll shut up about it." He flashed the raven haired man an angelic smile to which Harry squinted his eyes.

"You'd better watch out, filthy Death Eater boy," Harry scolded, throwing Malfoy another dangerous look. Malfoy reached for Harry's hand, pulling him closer and looking up.

"The stars are really bright tonight," Malfoy pointed out. Harry wanted to smack the man in the face. If the blonde wouldn't have wrapped his arm around him so comfortably and looked so adorable with the starlight reflecting in his silver eyes, he just might have.

"Seriously? You're going to start about the stars to make me forget your unsupportable behaviour just now?" Harry muttered, but a smile was tugging at the corner of his mouth, wanting to be revealed.

"No. I mean it," Malfoy said, gesturing towards the sky. The blonde was right, Harry thought when he looked up. A thousand lights were scattered across the inky sky, with no moon to deprive them from their glory. It was pretty. Harry's face lightened up.

"You're a goofball," Harry said with a little shove. "Starting about stars when I'm just about to lose my temper."

"I still can't believe it though, Potter. I missed you so much. And now – I can touch you again." Malfoy's words were no louder than a whisper, and if Harry wouldn't have been watching the man, he might not have heard the words had spoken. Malfoy reached up and caressed Harry's cheek softly. Harry closed his eyes to the touch. He instantly felt sixteen again. Harry wrapped his arms around the taller man's back, burying his head into the crook of Malfoy's warm neck. The blonde opened his jacket, wrapping it around Harry, and pulled him closer, the warmth of his body penetrating his thin jacket.

The two men stood there for a long while, unmoving under the stars, listening to one another's heartbeat, in the silent night. Eventually, Harry felt himself dozing off in Malfoy's arms and they had to let go. Harry placed a soft kiss on Malfoy's lips before saying their goodbyes.

Then they both made their way back to their own lives.

* * *

It was clean-up day in Harry's shop, which meant he cleaned out all the cages. On Tuesdays the shop wasn't open to customers, but that didn't mean Harry had nothing to do. All the animals needed a clean environment. And that equalled cleaning out cages.

"Why are you cleaning out these cages like that? It's disgusting!" Malfoy stood beside one of the big owl cages, leaning against the wall, his nose crunched up. He had a day off at the Ministry, and had come over to spend the day with Harry. Ginny was working at George's place, and even though it wasn't far for her to come over, they usually didn't see one anther before their shifts ended. Which made this a perfect opportunity to see Malfoy.

"I like doing it like this. I feel like it's more personal. More, …. I don't know,…" Harry replied, wiping the sweat of his forehead with the back of his hands, before shovelling the owl dirt up again. Malfoy stood scowling at him, his arms crossed, leaning against one of the other cages.

Harry enjoyed dating Malfoy. Going up to his house and making this alright with the man was the best thing Harry had done in quite a while now. He enjoyed spending time with him, even though it was difficult to meet up in secret. He had never expected to relive the young love he'd felt for the blonde back at Hogwarts. Back then, he had told himself it was all just a phase of growing up. But now that he was a grown up, his excuses weren't convincing anymore.

"You could just use magic and spend the rest of the time patting them. That would be personal as well." The blonde huffed. Harry thought that wasn't such a bad idea, but he didn't say it to the blonde, as he would be very smug about it. He clearly didn't like Harry's plans of cleaning out animal dirt. In fact, Harry didn't know if Malfoy even liked animals. The owls were hooting from above, casting down disapproving glances.

"I pat them enough, thank you very much, Malfoy. I like the work it takes you know, the muscle power, shovelling out the dirt, carrying the bags outside." Harry shrugged, tying up the bag he'd filled up. He cast some water in an empty bucket and heated it using a spell and then started cleaning the floor.

"You like cleaning up shit, Potter? I don't know why I'm dating you. Great Salazar, do you even wash your hands afterwards?" the blonde rolled his eyes and pouted, a deep frown appearing on his forehead.

"Like you would care if I'd touched your ass," Harry joked. Malfoy quirked an eyebrow, licking his lips seductively. Even though they'd been officially seeing each other for two weeks, not much action had happened, partly because it was difficult to meet up, and partly because Harry didn't want their fling to become pure sexually based.

"That's different." The sneer he'd been talking with had disappeared, and Harry turned his head to look at the man. Malfoy had a pink blush on his cheeks and looked down, and Harry smiled. He was grateful that the blonde was with him at this very moment. He leaned on his shovel, unaware that his smile was still plastered on his face.

"I don' t know why I don't use magic, Malfoy. I was raised by the Dursleys, and that Muggle way is still in me somewhere. I notice it all the time in the household as well. Ginny does all this kind of stuff with the use of magic, while I just do the dishes or cook."

"Half-blood," Malfoy muttered darkly, peering through narrow slits. Nevertheless, the pink blush on his cheeks was still present.

"You want me to come and grab you, filthy Death Eater?" Harry threatened, holding up his hands demonstratively. Malfoy was very prudish when it came to cleaning. He was making such a big deal out of this, even though Harry hadn't touched the dirt with his bare hands. He'd only shovelled it up. But it was definitely something for Malfoy to make a fuss about getting your hands dirty.

"Don't you dare, shitty-face."

"I don't have shit on my face, Malfoy. But _you_ will once I'm done with you!" Harry stepped outside the cage, closing it carefully behind him, so the owls couldn't escape and headed for Malfoy. He jumped on the blonde, touching his face all over with his wet hands.

"Grose! You little scumbag." Malfoy pulled a face and tried to brush it off while pushing Harry with his elbows.

"Suits you well," Harry smiled, then placed a peck on Malfoy's still damp cheek. Grey eyes stared back at him angrily, but then his gaze softened. Malfoy returned the kiss, finding his lips and for a moment, Harry forgot about cleaning up. The blonde pushed him forward against the cage with brutal force, their lips clashing together more urgently.

"I miss you all the time, Potter. I've got to see you more often," Malfoy brought out huskily, between raw kisses.

"You've seen me five times in only two weeks. I don't want Ginny to start worrying." Malfoy pulled a face at the mention of Harry's fiancée. "Besides, you're here now," Harry put in, gruffly. He didn't like to speak about Ginny when he was with Malfoy either. It made him feel guilty, as he was clearly cheating on both of them – but the fact that Ginny had no clue he was cheating on her made it that little bit worse and Harry couldn't stand it. He couldn't deal with it. He wouldn't deal with it, not yet.

"You're right," Malfoy sighed. "Let's just enjoy the moment." For a mere second, they both were lost, but then Harry pushed his other life out of his mind completely.

"Hmm. Where were we?" Harry asked faking to be sunken deep in thought. "Oh, right, cleaning up the cages." As he turned around to open up the owl's cage, Malfoy yanked him back on his arm, pushing him against the large cage again, placing an arm on each side of his head.

"You're not going anywhere," Malfoy growled. His eyes were dark with lust.

"No? What are you planning to do?" Harry had hardly finished his sentence when Malfoy started pulling his shirt over his head. Harry blushed as Malfoy took him in with a passionate gaze, then captured his lips again. Harry felt nervous and calm at the same time, goose bumps spreading all over his body. His pants came off, and Malfoy's clothes ended up somewhere on the floor. Their kisses became deeper and more passionate. Harry's body matched up with Malfoy's perfectly. The blonde's hand was wrapped around Harry's waist, pushing against his lower back and pulling him against Malfoy's body. He could feel Malfoy's erection against the fabric of his underwear, and suddenly their remaining pieces of clothing seemed redundant.

Harry pushed Malfoy's underwear down in one quick gesture, earning a surprised smile from the blonde.

"What?" Harry's neck and upper chest turned slightly pink and he resisted the urge to avoid Malfoy's gaze. His fingers reached for his boxers, fumbling with the fabric.

"Nothing. I just – didn't expect you to do that." Malfoy stood there confidently with his pants pulled down, while Harry was struggling to keep his breathing steady.

"Oh come on. Like you don't want to be naked with me, Malfoy." He sounded a lot more self-assured than he actually was and it would have been a hell of a lot more convincing if he wouldn't be this shade of red, or fumbling with his fingers. Harry's eyes fluttered down Malfoy's naked body. The former Slytherin was beautiful. His milky skin was even and more delicate than Harry'd ever imagined. Here and there, blonde hairs glittered gold in the light of the passageway between the cages. Harry forgot to breathe for a moment.

"That's all I ever want to be," Malfoy whispered in his ear. Harry growled, the sound coming from deep within his throat and kneeled on the floor, looking up with a naught look on his face. Malfoy's blonde eyebrows were pulled up in disbelief and Harry could hear his breathing falter. Harry had never been this straight forward in sexually themed conversations before, but he liked the way it caught Malfoy off-guard. He liked the way his own body was guiding him to do things he couldn't even think off.

Harry caressed Malfoy's legs, carefully avoiding his groin. Malfoy leaned into the touch, his hips slightly bucked forward. Harry breathed on his erection, earning a moan from the taller man. The heat radiated off Malfoy's body. Harry took his time to drink in the moment. Malfoy looking down on him with shining silver eyes, his hands were trembling, buried in Harry's hair. He then faced the center of Malfoy's body again and carefully licked the tip of Malfoy's penis. Malfoy whimpered. It had grown harder."Come on, Potter. Stop teasing." His voice was hardly louder than a whisper.

"There's no need to rush, Malfoy. We've got all day." With those words, he took his full erection in his mouth and sucked it, rubbing his tongue against the soft skin. It tasted like Malfoy, conjuring memories of ten years ago.

"All day sounds wonderful," Malfoy squeaked, Harry's sudden movement had caught him off guard. He grabbed Harry's mop of hair and pulled it softly, as Harry started moving. Malfoy leaned in the touch, lifting one hand to hold the cage wall in front of him, the other kept scratching Harry's scalp. Harry caressed Malfoy's pubic hair, his other hand slipping underneath and massaging his balls. Another moan rolled from Malfoy's throat, and he rested his head against the cage as well, to keep from falling over. There was nothing to support him except Harry and the cage. Harry took up the pace, ignoring his gag reflex and taking Malfoy deeper. Malfoy's abdomen muscles contracted and released, his entire body trembling with the effort to keep upright.

As Malfoy reached the edge, he nearly collapsed, and Harry got up to support him, holding the naked man in his arms. Malfoy's grey eyes were glazed, his pupils wide. "Great Salazar," he whispered, looking at Harry as if he came from another planet. "Have you been practicing since we last did that?" Harry chuckled and gave Malfoy a playful shove.

"No I haven't." Harry couldn't help but smile. He could feel Malfoy trembling in his arms, the goosebumps on his body pricking against Harry's skin.

"You've gotten better," the blonde breathed. He buried his head against Harry's shoulder, which was rather funny, as Malfoy was a lot taller than him and had to bend over to reach him.

"Are you saying I wasn't good before?" Harry grunted, somehow not happy with the compliment.

"No, no. Not at all. It's just that…. Maybe I forgot how much I like you – touching me intimately." Harry managed to obtain an even darker shade of red and was glad Malfoy was lying with his face crooked in Harry's neck. "And how Cormac doesn't even come close to what you did just now." Harry felt the chills all over his body and felt smug to hear that Malfoy was more content with him than his current – other boyfriend.

"Sounds okay to me," he mumbled, hands travelling down Malfoy's bare back. They remained like that for a while, until Malfoy lifted his head, a mischievous tug around his mouth.

"Now, Potter. Prepare for what I'm about to do to you," he said, standing up with a wide grin on his face. Harry's eyes grew wide.

"I… er-" He could feel his cheeks radiating with embarrassment, but the words failed him.

"No, no no. I don't want you to say anything." Mafloy hooked his fingers around the waistband of Harry's boxers and pulled them down gently. The blonde looked down, then looked up in surprise. "You…" he started, looking up and down again, and Harry wanted to disappear right there and then. If it would have been possible for his head to turn purple, now would have been time. "You already… Oh dear, Potter, you're so cute! You remember that time, back in Hogwarts. We were cuddling and kissing and then you came without me even touching you there? Great Salazar, you're adorable Harry." Malfoy kissed him on the cheek affectionately, but Harry wished the earth would swallow him up.

"Would you stop that please. I was just enjoying how you felt and then it just happened," Harry half whispered, half snapped. He wanted to smack the man for calling him cute and adorable in one breath, but it wouldn't be a nice thing to do in the aftermath of what just happened. Moreover, Harry was flattered, more than he dared to admit.

"That's romantic, Potter. It really is. I love you so much. I love every little thing about you. The way you're all flustered, the way you touch me, the way your body reacts to mine." Malfoy engulfed him into a tight hug, skin touching skin. Harry drank in Malfoy's scent and smiled.

"I love you too Malfoy. I never stopped."

 **To be continued…**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you so much for the reviews so far! It's nice to hear that you like where it's going. Here's part six, hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 6

Ginny waved her wand to stir up the stove on which she was cooking, casting a sideward glance to where Harry was sitting. The table was already set, and he was scanning the Daily Prophet only half interested. "So… Where were you last Saturday?" Harry looked up briefly, a slight frown rippling his forehead.

"I already told you, I was with Ron. We spent the day in the Leaky Cauldron." Harry tried to push away the worry and guilt nagging in his gut, but his excuse was waterproof. There was no way Ron would tell on him. He hadn't had the time to tell his best friend yet, but he knew that Ron would be clever enough to go along with what he'd said.

"That's not what Hermione told me…" Ginny responded, trying to sound detached, but he could tell from her posture that she was on the verge of asking an important question.

"Oh yeah?" Harry asked, trying to sound uninterested as well, but his heart was drumming in his ears, his cheeks grew hot.

"Yes. She said they went to see Bill and Fleur _together._ Last Saturday. Or was it another day you were talking about?" Ginny left the cooking for what it was and turned around, arms folded in front of her chest, her lips pressed together forming a thin line. She resembled her mother in a scary way. Harry's eyes grew wide with alarm.

"I… er…" He stammered, unable to find an excuse right there and then. His brain was working at lightning speed, browsing through a mental lists of excuses that could cover up this terrible mistake. He'd been with Malfoy that Saturday, of course, and in fact, he should've checked with Ron that he wasn't spending time with Hermione or anything and that he knew he was going to use him as an excuse. But he'd wanted to see Malfoy so desperately that he hadn't thought it through…

Ginny quirked an eyebrow. "You're hiding something. I can sense it." Of course he was hiding something. But what could he be hiding that wasn't going to enrage her? Or hurt her?

"I can't tell you. It was supposed to be a surprise," Harry exclaimed in a wail. Ginny's eyes grew big.

"A surprise? Did I ruin it? Oh! Harry!" She flopped down on Harry's lap, hugging him tight. The fright of being discovered instantly made room for guilt, and Harry had to suppress a sigh of misery.

"Well, it won't be a surprise anymore, will it?" Harry muttered, protesting a little against her sudden touch. He hugged her back, feeling extremely self-conscious. He'd just covered up a lie with another lie. Even though the guilt was searing through his veins, he ignored it. It had been worth it. Malfoy was worth this. He should be congratulating himself on his inventiveness – but still, his fiancé was sitting on his lap and the guilt lingered.

Now all he had to do was find something to surprise her. He stifled another sigh. This was going to be more difficult than he thought. Ginny clearly perceived his silence as a sign that he wasn't happy his secret was out, as she whispered: "I'm sorry. I'm so glad to have you! I shouldn't be this suspicious."

"It's okay. It'll be fine. You'll be thrilled to see what I have in store for you." In thought, Harry added darkly: _"And I'll be thrilled to see what I come up with as well."_

Dinner was delicious and after doing the dishes together, Ginny went upstairs to take a shower. That was his queue. He needed to act quickly to cover up this mistake for good. He threw some Floo powder in their chimney and kneeled, quietly calling for Ron and Hermione's place. Within a matter of seconds, he could see their living room. Much to Harry's luck, Ron was sitting on the sofa, while Hermione was fixing dinner in the kitchen.

"Ron, come here," Harry whispered. Ron's head shot up, looked around disoriented for a few seconds, then noticed Harry's head in the fire. His eyebrows raised in surprise. As Ron opened his mouth to greet him, Harry gestured to keep quiet.

"I got to talk to you about something. Quickly."

"Oh. Okay," Ron shrugged, and kneeled in front of the fireplace.

"I told Ginny that I was with you Saturday, because I have a surprise in store. Could you please mention that to Hermione, before she causes a war between me and Ginny? She was ready to roast me this evening. It's supposed to be a surprise, so…" Harry trailed off, waiting breathlessly for Ron's answer, trying not to worry that he was burying himself in yet another lie.

"Oh. Women," Ron muttered. "It's okay, mate. I'll talk to her. We're doing each other a favour." He gestured to the fireplace as if he wanted to smack Harry on the shoulder, but as it was only Harry's head floating in the fire, he couldn't. Just then, Hermione popped her head around the corner.

"Who are you talking to? Oh, hi Harry!" Hermione's bushy curls were drawn back in a big, wavy pony tail, and she had her wand at the ready.

"Hi Hermione!" Harry called cheerfully.

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, just men's talk. Call me when dinner's ready," Ron responded hastily, waving at her to go away.

"You could help out, too, you know," Hermione reprimanded, then turned her back to the two friends and disappeared again. Harry saw her throw Ron an angry look just in time and shook his head.

"Sometimes I really feel sorry for you," Harry muttered darkly. Hermione could be bossy at times. Ron smiled toothily at him, and shrugged.

"She's always like that after a long shift. You get used to it." Harry suppressed a shudder. If he'd been together with Hermione, she would have figured out what he was doing in a blink of an eye. The thought of that really gave him the chills.

"So what's this surprise about?" Ron questioned. Harry tried not to contort his face into a painful grimace, and shrugged as well, even though Ron couldn't see that.

"Just… something romantic," he responded airily. "But thanks for informing her, you know. I told Ginny I spent the day with you, as I was browsing for a romantic gift, but she got on to me because you spent the day with Bill and Fleur…"

"No problem, mate. I've used you as a cover up before too, you know."

"I heard that Ronald!" Hermione shouted from the kitchen, and instantly his ears and neck turned as red as his hair. "How could she have heard?!" Ron mouthed to him without making a sound. Harry shook his head, laughing.

"Well, I'd better get going. I can hear Ginny coming down the stairs. She's suspicious enough as it is, so better not put the cat among the pigeons."

"See ya," Ron winked, and just before Harry's head left their chimney, he could hear Hermione coming into the living room, saying : "What _exactly_ did you cover-"

Harry shook his head, smiling. Ron had gotten himself into trouble again. Either way, Harry had no reason to brag, as he had a very close call himself. He made himself comfortable in the sofa and put on the television, as Ginny entered the living room.

"I don't get why you like watching that thing," she muttered, more to herself than to Harry, and Harry pretended not to have heard her. She sat down next to him and conjured her knitting. However, Harry's mind wasn't exactly with the doctor, trying to save the patient's life, with whom he'd had an affair ever since she became ill. It was spinning, trying to brainstorm about an idea to impress his fiancée.

Malfoy. This was all his fault. If he'd never shown up at that party a couple months ago, Harry wouldn't be in this much trouble. Then again, Harry wouldn't have had so much fun either... Harry let his mind wander to the Saturday Ginny had been talking about, a smile on his lips. Malfoy had asked him over to a field from the Malfoy Manor, where he used to play Quidditch. Harry had brought his old Firebolt and they had flown for a few hours, racing each other, showing off to one another and trying to push the other of their broom. When the sun was finally going down, they'd collapsed onto the grassy field and made out under and orange painted sky.

"You can't get me, you slowpoke!" Harry teased, mounting higher into the sky with his Firebolt. Malfoy still had his Nimbus 2002, which was a great broom, but couldn't match with the precision of his own international broom.

"Oh yeah? I don't care if you're flying a speed bomb, Potter, I can still get you!" They slalomed in the sky a little, Malfoy gaining and losing distance on Harry. Harry smirked. He could keep this up all day. The good thing about this field was that you could go as high as you wanted. There were no Muggles around to spot them, and even if there were, the field was magically enchanted so they would only see birds.

Harry took a one hundred eighty degree bend and zoomed up to Malfoy, catching the blonde off guard, and making him drop at least five feet of altitude before he got control back over his broom.

"What do you think you're doing?" he exclaimed reproachfully.

"I thought I'd make it easy on you, as you wouldn't have caught me all day. If it's one thing you've never beaten me in, Malfoy, it's Quidditch."

"Who said I ever wanted to?" They were now flying next to each other, occasionally bumping against the other's leg.

"The only thing you ever did was hold me back by the tail of my broom, remember, you filthy cheat?" Harry scolded playfully, bumping a little harder, so Malfoy had to make an effort to keep his broom straight. Malfoy shot him a dirty look, but then the sneer of his face faded into a smile.

"I'm not thirteen anymore, Potter. I can win with tactics now." And with those words, he zoomed away between the trees, leaving Harry to chase him. The former Gryffindor manoeuvred between the trees, trying to catch a glimpse of blonde, but the woods were giving too much cover. He would have to fly up to look, but then _he_ would be the target. Harry was concentrating so hard he hadn't seen the flash of black robes coming in on his right, and the toppled over, crashing against a big branch, slipping down along the tree trunk. His Firebolt stopped three inches above the grassy grounds.

"You should praise yourself your stupid broom has a built in crash landing, Potter. Or you could have waved your beloved treasure goodbye," Malfoy mocked, zooming around the tree on his black Nimbus. Harry jumped up, grabbing his broom by the tail and started pulling the blonde down. Malfoy however, wasn't keen on giving in and tried flying up, Harry's feet leaving the ground, only hanging on with one arm.

"Hey! Get me down, you stupid Ferret!" Harry bellowed, his temper rising uncontrollably. "I'm going to get you for this you filthy Death Eater." Malfoy however, smirked and pulled Harry up the broom by his robes, then flew even higher. Harry held on to the blonde, feeling uncomfortable about not being in control. He preferred flying himself, rather than being steered. Their robes fluttered in the wind as Malfoy sped up, the wind brushing against Harry's cheeks comfortably.

Harry calmed down, wrapping his arms around Malfoy's waist and enjoying the warm wind on his face. "So is this your way for payback? Offering me a ride on your broom?" Harry questioned.

"Potter, I didn't know you liked dirty talk," Malfoy shouted back over the wind. Harry frowned, thinking about what he had said, until it finally sunk in.

"You hormonal piece of crap!" Harry exclaimed, smacking Malfoy on the back reproachfully, but he was smiling nevertheless. They were only hovering now, and Malfoy shifted on the broomstick, until he sat facing Harry.

"You should have told me this way sooner, Potter," He spoke in a husky voice. He licked his lips seductively. It was hard for Harry to focus on the real issue at hand, as Malfoy's lips were drawing him in.

"You're just making fun of me, Malfoy."

"Fun? You think this is a joke, then? You were the one who suggested taking a ride. On my broom for that sake!" Malfoy exclaimed, faking to be offended. Harry chuckled.

"When you put it like that, it sounds pretty suggestive," Harry admitted. Malfoy linked his fingers with Harry's, leaning in for the kiss. Just before their lips touched, Harry furrowed.

"Who's flying this broom, Malfoy?"

"Come on, Potter. It's just hovering. Wanna go down?" Malfoy let out an exasperated sigh, but upon Harry's uncomfortable look on his face, he turned around and flew the broom down safely.

"Ever since falling during our third year, I'm uncomfortable of losing control in extreme heights," Harry mumbled apologetically, while sitting down on the grass. Malfoy plopped down next to him, offering him a compassionate look.

"It's okay. I didn't know. Come here." Malfoy wrapped both arms around Harry and tucked his head against his chest, lying down. Harry closed his eyes, relishing the moment. Quidditch and Malfoy were two things that were currently peaking at the top of Harry's 'Things I love' list. Mafloy pushed Harry's chin up with a long, slender finger, his silver eyes sparkling like diamonds.

"I-" he started, but Harry leaned in and captured his lips before Malfoy could say anything. Malfoy's taste lingered on Harry's lips as he rested his forehead against Malfoy's.

"I know, Malfoy. Me too," Harry whispered, his lips brushing Malfoy's still wet lips.

"But we're still going to have a final lapse, Potter, don't you forget," Malfoy warned, a challenging look appearing in his silver orbs.

"You bet. But just shut up right now and kiss me."

Harry shot out of his reverie when Ginny dropped a needle. The doctor had managed to save the life from girl he was having the affair with, and she was miraculously cured. They made out and then the credits started rolling down. Harry shook his head sceptically.

Having an affair in real life was not that easy.

* * *

It was crowded in the Tea Room, as Harry made his way to the table where Hermione was sitting. It was one of her favourite places, a Muggle café, where she and her parents used to go. Harry didn't like crowded places, since there was always someone among them that recognized him, but here, there wasn't any chance. Muggles didn't see him as a hero, and therefore, Harry was grateful.

"Hi, 'Mione," Harry greeted, hugging the girl tightly before sitting down on the opposite side of the small wooden table. "It's been a long time since it's been just the two of us." He took off his coat, draping it over the chair and made himself comfortable. He looked around and could see why Hermione liked this place so much. It was as if they were having a coffee in their own living room, a beautiful soft caramel coloured carpet covering the entire floor.

Hermione returned Harry's smile. "Yeah, life goes by like a train. I haven't talked to you properly since the ten year anniversary at Hogwarts. When was that, two months ago?"

"Yes, but well, it's been busy in the shop, and I bet they can't miss you in St. Mungo's." Harry investigated the fake flower standing on their table and the candle that was slowly flickering in the tumult. The murmur of voices reminded Harry of the Three Broomsticks.

"No, they can't." Hermione paused in her sentence so the waiter could take her order. She ordered a cappuccino and Harry got a regular beer. As the waiter took off again, Hermione continued: "But I asked you here for a reason." For a moment, Harry's heart sank into his chest, fearing that she was about to bring up Malfoy, or Harry's striking absence in the past few weeks. Should he deny it? He couldn't, she would know when he was lying. He'd have to admit it… The knot in Harry's stomach grew as Hermione cleared her throat. "I got some great news and I wanted to tell you in person. It's not that I don't want Ginny here, but, … It's just something that I wanted to share with you first, as we've been best friends for such a long time."

Harry perked his ears up, suddenly interested in what she was going to say. It couldn't be something sad, as the brown-haired woman was glowing with happiness. "I'm pregnant," she blurted out.

"You are?" Harry exclaimed, nearly jumping off his seat. "Congratulations!" Harry reached over the table again to hug her even more tightly than before, taking notice not to catch fire on the candle. "I had no idea. Ron didn't say anything!" Harry couldn't wipe the smile off his face and Hermione's brown eyes were sparkling with pride.

"I didn't want him to reveal the news just yet, but he had a hard time hiding it." Harry wouldn't know whether Ron had a hard time or not, as he had hardly seen him in the past few months. Besides, the last time he'd spoken to him through the fire, he hadn't showed any signs of hiding something, but that was mainly because Harry had to make it quick and ask him not to tell anything.

"How long?" Harry asked, nodding to her belly, that was bulging a little more than usual.

"Two months now," she answered proudly, stroking her belly and Harry wondered if the tiny creature growing inside of it could feel her hands through her skin. She must have been pregnant already when they were attending the anniversary. Harry tried to recall if Hermione had had a drink or not, but it was a blur. The only thing he could remember was loud music and Malfoy.

"Merlin. That's just, … Wow. Let's make a toast to that." Harry shook his head in happy disbelief. Just then, the waiter served their drinks. They both leaned back so the man had room to put the drinks on the table. Harry then heaved his glass. "To new life."

Hermione copied him. "And to you and Ginny getting married, of course." Harry took a long sip, smiling while processing the news. Hermione put her coffee down. "Speaking of which, how are things between the two of you? I heard you're organizing something romantic?" Hermione looked at him expectantly, and Harry's felt disheartened at once, all joy vanishing like snow before the sun.

"I'm still working on that," Harry muttered, cursing himself for still not finding what he could possibly be planning for her.

"Well, either way, it's great. I thought you two weren't doing so well anymore. Especially you, with planning the wedding and all. I could tell that you've never been comfortable about the whole marriage thing. But when I heard that…" Hermione lit up, a genuine smile splitting her face in two.

"No, we're great," Harry agreed, forcing a smile and taking another drink from his beer. He'd much rather continue talking about the pregnancy than his relationship with Ginny. A pang of guilt stabbed through his chest. Ginny would be devastated if she ever found out. There was no time to waste. He needed a surprise for Ginny. Not just a present, but something that included planning. Something that would cover up this entire mess he had gotten himself in…

* * *

Harry was making his way through the Atrium. It had been months since he'd last been to the Ministry of Magic. The Auror department was having their annual drink, on which colleagues could invite friends. He passed the statue, memories of the fight between Dumbledore and Voldemort clouding his mind. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't see the man running up to him and pushing him into a nearby cupboard. "Wha-" Harry exclaimed, but his voice came out muffled, as long slender fingers covered his mouth. He instantly recognized the touch of the hands grabbing him, the scent familiar in his nose. "Malfoy!" What are you doing?" Harry hissed, keeping his voice down, so the wizards passing by wouldn't hear him. He could already picture them casting puzzled glances toward them.

"I wanted to see you." Malfoy breathed. They were pressed against one another, hardly fitting into the closet. Malfoy had his hands in front of the doors, trapping Harry inside.

"Ginny's going to be here any minute. She's coming with George after they lock up the Jokeshop." Harry tried to push Malfoy's arms away from the doors, but he wouldn't budge.

"Like I care where the Weaslette is, I haven't seen you all week," Malfoy retorted, silver eyes glinting in the twilight. There was only a tiny stripe of light coming through the gap between the wooden doors, but Harry could still distinguish the familiar lines of Malfoy's face.

" _I_ do! She'll wonder where I am, I told her I was going ahead and warn Ron that the two of them might arrive a little later. Do you know how hard it is to find excuses, over and over again?" Harry questioned, frustration dripping off his voice. He sat down on a bucket uncomfortably, as his back was already starting to hurt from bending over.

"I got a boyfriend too, you know," Malfoy answered dryly. Harry could detect a hint of jealousy in his voice, and couldn't help but feel a little flattered.

"I mean, she's onto something. I nearly got busted when meeting you that Saturday. I had to lie to cover it up. I said I was planning a surprise, but I've got nothing. Not even the tiniest idea of what to do." Malfoy leaned in to nibble his ear, and Harry wanted to push him away, chagrin taking the better part of him, but Malfoy's breath in his ear and the wetness on his skin calmed him down.

"Hmm, a surprise," Malfoy mumbled, a growl rumbling in his throat. Harry was already blushing, and gently pushed Malfoy off. "Not now, Malfoy. Ron's waiting for me, there's a drink in the Auror department, if you must know."

"I know," Malfoy responded matter-of-factly. "How else would I know you're here? I was waiting for you, Potter." Malfoy's hands travelled under his shirt, while the other one reached down, slipping under Harry's waist band, squeezing his buttocks. Harry didn't know whether to feel annoyed or aroused.

"Malfoy please," He begged, trying in vain to push his hands away. This affair with Malfoy was getting harder and harder to hide, partly because he was so bad at lying and partly because it never felt like he saw Malfoy enough. Even now, he'd much rather stay in the cupboard, than go to that stupid drink.

"Come on, Potter", Malfoy encouraged, knowing Harry's resistance was fake. "Just tell them you ran into someone who recognized you as the boy who lived and went all nostalgic on you." Harry laid his head down on Malfoy's shoulder, letting the blonde graze his fingertips on his bare skin, closing his eyes to the touch.

"You're a sneaky bastard, Malfoy." Harry muttered. "Merlin, I hate lying," he mumbled against Malfoy's shirt, feeling guilty and satisfied at the same time.

"It's for our own good. Just relax. It'll be fine." Malfoy captured Harry's lips, engulfing him into a warm embrace, sending goose bumps all over Harry's body until his toes curled up with delight. Harry swooned into his arms, realizing how much he'd missed the man in only a week's time.

Their tongues grazed one another, then Harry broke the kiss and rested his head comfortably against Malfoy's chest, giving a contented sigh. They remained like that for a while, neither of them speaking, just enjoying each other's company, while Malfoy stroked up and down his arm comfortingly. The couple lost track of time. Harry drank in Malfoy's scent, his breathing slowed down. Just when he thought he was going to fall asleep, he opened his eyes again. He grabbed Malfoy's wrist to check his watch.

"Shit. I'm ten minutes late already. I'm sorry Malfoy, I really have to go." He undid himself from Malfoy's grip and exited the cupboard in one quick motion, preventing Malfoy from janking him back and talking him into staying another ten minutes. He stood up, head held high, straightening his robes and faced the passing mob with dignity. No one had noticed his escape from the closet. He threw a goodbye kiss at Malfoy, who was peeping through the door, waiting for Harry to leave before coming out.

"You should come out of the closet, Malfoy" Harry joked, giving him a wink and then was on his way to the elevators. When it started, he was swung backwards and to the left until it reached the right floor, with the cool female voice announcing: "Auror Department." As he stepped into the corridor, he could already hear the murmur of voices coming from the office down the hallway. He didn't even need to knock to let them know his arrival, Ron was already charging forward to him, with open arms, a drink in each hand.

"Harry, you made it!" He greeted him jovially.

"Sorry I'm late." Harry offered the Redhead a man hug, smacking each other on the back a couple of times before letting go again. "I ran into someone who recognized me as The Boy Who Lived. It was hard to get rid of him in a polite way," he explained. He hoped Ron would associate his red cheeks with the embarrassment of encountering someone unwantedly and not suspect him of snogging Malfoy in a cupboard in the middle of the Ministry of Magic.

"It's fine, you made it here. Great to see you, mate. You heard the good news, I suppose?" harry nodded in agreement, accepting the drink Ron was offering him and taking a sip, before punching him friendly in the shoulder: "Congratulations, Ron!" Harry shook his head. "I can't believe you did it! You're going to be a _father."_ Harry exclaimed. Ron was radiating with enthusiasm, pulling Harry further into the busy office.

"I wasn't expecting this many people." He threw Harry an half-annoyed look, but Harry could see that he was pleased this many people had turned up to the rather small office."All the colleagues invited some friends, so it gets crowed rather quickly. Especially when you have lots of friends. Is Ginny coming? I'm dying to tell her the good news. You haven't told her yet, have you?" Ron

"No, no. I kept it quiet for a few days," Harry smiled. "She'll be here any minute. She and George were still closing off the shop when I left." Harry was relieved to hear Ginny hadn't arrived yet and finally started to relax a little.

"You should make a baby too, Harry. We could raise our kids together," Ron suggested, a beaming smile radiating off his face. The thought of making babies with Ginny sent a cold shiver down his spine followed by a giant wave of guilt. He simply could not imagine himself having babies with Ginny, even though the thought of having kids himself had always appealed to him. Having his own son grow up with Ron's kid would be a dream come true, but sadly… he couldn't. Not yet.

"We have the wedding coming up, Ron. We'll see from there on." He couldn't help but notice that he sounded dismissive, rather than enthusiastic.

"It was about time you got married. It's been ten years. Wait any longer and you'd have to plan your wedding and funeral in the same week," Ron joked. Harry smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. The lies hanging between him and his friends were getting bigger and bigger, and Harry could not feel at ease right now.

Ron excused himself to go talk to another colleague, who introduced Ron to his wife and Harry looked around the party, feeling out of place. Everyone here knew what they were doing, knew what they wanted in life. Harry had built up an entire world around his girlfriend – and now fiancée, Ginny. And now it all came tumbling down, as Harry started to question every single decision he'd made.

Did he love Ginny? Did he like his life how it was right now? Could he imagine a whole other life with Malfoy? Could he image having or adopting children with him. Harry sighed in frustration, knowing very well that he had the answers to all those questions. He just didn't like to face them.

Just then, he saw a two redhead making their way through the crowd, and Harry put on his smile again, pushing his worries away and trying to pretend having a good time at the party.

 **To be continued.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I Just wanted to say to all those who took their time to leave a review: Thank you so much! You don't know how much I appreciate you sharing your thoughts! Enjoy the next one:**

Chapter 7

Harry had booked a room in the Leaky Cauldron. To avoid suspicion he'd asked Malfoy to wait in front of the animal shop for him and go together. Harry was pacing up and down impatiently, until he saw a blonde mop of hair heading his direction. When he reached the entrance door, Harry snatched his arm and pulled him inside, looking left and right anxiously, to see if there were any familiar faces on Diagon Alley. He then slammed the door shut and took a gulp of air, realizing he'd been holding his breath all that time.

"You made it," Harry breathed. He looked to the door at the back of the shop, leading up to living area on the first floor and then looked back at the blonde, his heart pounding in his chest nervously.

"I did." Malfoy chuckled. Harry softly smacked him against the chest.

"Be quiet, Ginny's upstairs. She thinks I'm going out to plan her romantic thing."

"Well, you are. I promised I'd help, so I will." Malfoy whispered. Harry draped the cloak of invisibility over the taller man's shoulders, placing a soft peck on his lips.

"You'd better. It's all your fault I've gotten tangled up in this." Harry stepped out on the street, gesturing to Malfoy to put the hood on and was followed by an invisible man. He was excited to be spending the afternoon together. They hadn't really planned to meet, and it had been a spur of the moment decision, but Malfoy had wanted to help him out with the surprise, so he'd booked a room in the Leaky Cauldron, where they would be left alone.

Moreover, Ginny would be having a baby-shopping afternoon with Hermione two weeks from now and Ron had to work overtime in the office, so Harry would have the entire day for himself for a change. He and Malfoy were planning on doing a little trip together, outside London. Harry was looking extremely forward to it. Anyway, that wasn't happing for another two weeks, and because of that he hadn't planned to do anything with Malfoy in the meantime, so it wouldn't become obvious. But he had an amazing excuse to go planning his romantic surprise. Harry just hoped Malfoy would come up with something good.

They had almost reached the Leaky Cauldron, and Harry could feel Malfoy lining up behind him, so he wouldn't accidentally bump into anyone. It was already crowded in the pub, and it took a while before Tom, the ward, had the time to lead them to their room. Harry plopped down on the bed after the old man closed the door.

"You can come out now," Harry chuckled, searching the room for Malfoy. "Come on. I know you're here." Harry urged. Still no answer. Harry got up frowning, scanning the room again for any sign of life. "Malfoy?" Harry was starting to fear he must have lost the blonde in the busy pub, when a pillow was lifted by an invisible hand, flying through the air and hitting Harry in the face. Harry was momentarily frozen, then jumped forward to the spot where the pillow came from, grabbing thin air.

"I'm going to get you anyway," Harry warned looking around to check if anything was moving; he stepped forward cautiously, arms stretched forward and ears perked. Malfoy had an enormous advantage being invisible, but Harry didn't mind. With no previous warning, he ran forward and bumped into a wall of invisibility. Malfoy let out a screech as he toppled over and the cape fell off, revealing only his head. "Gotcha." Harry squealed, bursting out in a fit of laughter.

Malfoy pulled a face, but then the corners of his mouth trembled and curled up as well, filling the room with a chatter of laughter. "You're a moron, you know that?" Harry said, as he undid the invisibility cloak. Malfoy shrugged and then quirked an eyebrow when Harry stopped.

"You can continue, if you don't mind," Malfoy said, gesturing to the rest of his clothes. Harry gave him a shove. "You horny little scumbag!" Harry got up and put the pillow back on the bed, but got pushed over by Malfoy, the taller blonde crawling on top of him and pinning him to the bed.

"Now, what have we got here," Malfoy growled, looking down on Harry as if he was a delicious meal. "If you won't undress me, Potter, I'll have to do it myself." With those words Malfoy got up from the bed again, never leaving Harry's eyes. He began unbuttoning his shirt slowly, revealing a tiny stripe of chest. He shook his hips as the threw the blouse onto the floor, licking his lips, still gazing at Harry. Harry swallowed thickly, unable to take his eyes off the blonde. Malfoy unzipped his pants, the sound of the zipper crackling between them. Harry's heart sped up as Malfoy stepped out of the jeans and spun around.

"Malfoy. You-"

"I, what, Potter?" Malfoy replied, undoing his last piece of clothing without any sign of hesitation.

"You're beautiful," Harry breathed, his words hardly louder than a whisper. Malfoy crawled into the bed again, taking his position next to Harry.

"Now, don't you think you're wearing too much, Potter? You're a little over-dressed here." Harry chuckled and bit his lip, taking off his shirt while Malfoy brutally pulled down his pants.

"Hey!" Harry protested. The blonde looked up at him innocently.

"What?" He asked in an angelic voice.

"No need to be so rude," Harry exclaimed, trying to cover himself up with his arms.

"Rude. Oh Potter, you don't know how much a want you right now," Malfoy breathed, a seductive edge in his tone. Harry got goose bumps all over his body, nearly forgetting to breathe.

"You should cast a silencing charm first, Malfoy. And make sure no one can disturb us." Malfoy grabbed his wand and took care of that in a matter of seconds – still very naked, while Harry got rid of his boxers, and lied down on the bed confidently, tucking an arm to support his head and putting on a serious face.

When Malfoy looked at him again, Harry could see him swallow thickly. He plopped down on the bed next to him, running his hands over Harry's bare chest. Harry captured Malfoy's lips in a kiss, pulling him closer against his body. Malfoy placed a kiss on his Adam's apple, breathing in his neck, hugging him tighter as his nails scratched Harry's back. He lowered his hands, dragging his nails all the way down Harry's back and halted where the rim of his boxers usually would be. Malfoy straightened up, looking at Harry's torso with desire. Harry gulped nervously, his hand reaching up to caress Malfoy's beautiful face.

"Malfoy I-"

"Hush," Malfoy whispered, kissing each of Harry's nipples in turn, while his hand made its way up Harry's knee. Malfoy caressed Harry's inner thighs while kissing his belly button. He lowered his face a little to the right, sucking on Harry's hip bone, leaving a dark biting mark and then continued on lower, travelling down Harry's inguinal line. Malfoy's hot breath engulfed Harry's erection, making the raven-haired man buck his hips, spreading his legs wider so Malfoy could position himself between him.

"That's not the reason we came here, Malfoy," Harry breathed, eyes clouded with desire.

"You want me to stop?"

"No!" Harry exclaimed indignantly, to which Malfoy responded with a seductive lick around his lips.

"Then shut up, Potter," Malfoy growled, and took Harry's hardening erection in his mouth. The sudden heat made Harry whimper and he curled his toes up in pleasure. Harry closed his eyes, surrendering himself completely to the blonde, letting the pleasure wash over him in waves.

He had never felt more free in his entire Malfoy laid down next to him, Harry opened his eyes to slits, locking gazes with eyes of molten silver, the most beautiful shade of grey Harry had ever seen. Right now, nothing else mattered in the world than looking at Malfoy and having Malfoy looking back at him.

"Now, what did you want to talk about," Malfoy asked, breaking the comfortable silence. Harry wanted to smack him for ruining the moment of utter peace, but he knew they had come there wit ha reason.

"The surprise," he replied reluctantly. "So what did you have in mind? Any ideas to surprise my fiancée?" Harry turned over to lie on his side, his arm supporting his head. Malfoy made himself more comfortable in the pillows, a frown crossing his beautiful features.

"Plenty, but don't call her that." The displeased pout on his face made Harry chuckle.

"Just fire away, so I can get this over with." Harry reached out to caress Malfoy's chest hair, playing with a couple of strands while looking expectantly over at his boyfriend.

"Okay. You could go to Paris. That's romantic."

"But it doesn't need much planning." Harry had thought about Paris himself, but he didn't want to go to the city of romance – not with Ginny, not just before marrying and certainly not to cover up an affair with Malfoy.

"It depends on what you do there. You could do a spa?" Malfoy suggested lazily. His lips were still swollen from before, and Harry found it hard to concentrate, the aftermath still lingering in his muscles.

"Something which doesn't include me being gone all weekend? I'm not sure if I can miss you that long." Harry curled his nose at the thought of having to spend the entire weekend without even seeing Malfoy. He wondered why he wouldn't miss Ginny, but he would miss Malfoy. Was that because this entire fling as new to him?

"That's just cute," Malfoy smiled, brushing away a strand of hair on Harry's forehead. Harry pushed away the thought of just liking Malfoy because he was something new and instinctively knew that wasn't the case.

"Just shut up, you. It's hard enough to meet you as it is. I don't need a weekend to spoil it all." He was slowly lowering his hand, his fingers now playing with the tiny stripe of hair below Malfoy's belly button.

"But spending the weekend with her will make her less suspicious," Malfoy put in. Harry curled up his nose at the thought.

"Just give me some more ideas," he grumbled, juggling with the guilt of not wanting to spend that amount of time with his fiancée and the frustration of feeling obliged to do it to make up for everything else he'd done the past two and a half months.

"Okay. What if you planned that weekend with me instead, and told Ginny to go screw herself?" Malfoy suggested. Harry punched him in his stomach, a grin splitting his face in two. That wasn't such a bad idea, actually.

"You're evil. But is that really all you've got?" Harry started being more desperate, as he had hoped Malfoy to come up with the perfect solution.

"You got something better?" Malfoy noted dryly. Harry shook his head. His hand was now playing with Malfoy's pubic hair, only inches away of his masculinity. It was getting harder to focus on the real matter.

"I'm not very creative when it comes to romantic stuff," Harry muttered, more to himself than anything else.

"You've got a point there," Malfoy teased, earning another shove.

"What's gotten into you today. Get off my back!" But Harry smiled nonetheless. He grabbed hold of Malfoy's half erection, squeezing it softly to pester Malfoy.

"Easy there," Malfoy brought out, his silver eyes darkening. Harry licked his lips seductively, softly stroking the base, feeling Malfoy growing harder in his hands. At that moment, Harry could care less about the surprise for Ginny. The only thing on Harry's mind was the longing look in Malfoy's grey gaze, and his perfect, exposed body.

* * *

"Mind if I join you?" Malfoy asked, as he walked up to Harry, wrapping his arms around his waist. Harry was standing stretched out against one of the shelves, reaching for one of the cat beds displayed on top. It was a calm day in the Animal Shop, which was a good thing, as Harry had planned to do a lot.

"Not at all, "Harry breathed, putting the bed down next to the other stuff he had been moving and turned around to face the blonde. "I'm restocking the shelves and re-organizing them, because it's getting a bit messy. I also ordered some new magically enhanced Ferret-toys as the Ferrets are _the_ pet of the moment and I need a spot to put them in." H arry paused shortly and looked up and down the former Slytherin. "You're taller, so you'll have less trouble reaching the higher ones," Harry said, wiping the sweat off his forehead. Malfoy quirked an eyebrow, but Harry threw him a challenging look, as if to warn him that it wasn't just a suggestion.

"Great. Now I'm your slave," Malfoy muttered, reaching up to the shelve Harry was working on and placed two cat carriers – which looked regular size from outside, but were very spacious inside, complete with food and drink bowl, and a comfortable cushion – on the ground with ease. "What do you do when I'm not around?" He groused, but Harry could discover a faint smile behind his displeased mask. Not ready to give up on teasing the blonde yet, Harry threw him another look.

"I use a ladder," Harry replied dryly. Obviously, he used the most simple spell in the entire universe, but he wouldn't bother Malfoy with that knowledge. Yet. Harry continued on the lower shelve, while Malfoy took care of the higher ones. Suddenly, Harry felt a pang of guilt for always being busy in his shop when Malfoy had some spare time, stopping midway in a gesture to grab a large bag of self- cleaning cat litter. "I'm sorry I gotta work so much," he apologized.

"That apology is appropriate," Malfoy retorted, placing his hands on his hips while looking at Harry, quirking an eyebrow. This, however, wasn't quite the answer Harry had expected.

"Sorry that I'm my own boss! When the work doesn't get finished, I can't just leave it at the office until the next day," Harry replied huffy, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Sadly, there just never seemed to be time enough. The weekends passed by in a blur and during the week he was busy maintaining the shop, his good rapports with Ginny and his romance with Malfoy. There were hardly any time left for his friends, and he had to admit that he missed them.

"I get it. You're a workaholic," Malfoy said, as he finished clearing the entire top shelve from the first row. He then moved onto the next, and shot Harry a glance as a sign that he was waiting for a response. But Harry had already bitten the bait that the blonde had thrown.

"You should be happy that I let you in during the opening hours, Malfoy," the former Gryffindor snapped, his temper rising. He placed his hands on his hips and offered the man a scowl. Clearly that was what Malfoy had wanted to hear, as he put up his hands in defence, smiling from ear to ear.

"Alright, alright. There's no need to get all worked up. I'm enjoying being here." He placed a couple of heavy bags of animal food on the ground, shaking his head in disbelief. Harry instantly calmed down again, something only Malfoy seemed to be capable off.

"You better. I like it when you're around." Harry pulled Malfoy away from the shelve and engulfed him into a warm kiss. "I'm really looking forward to next weekend, by the way," Harry whispered against his lips. Malfoy caressed Harry's black mop of hair with a fond smile on his face. Next weekend, they'd finally have some time together, as Ginny was having a sleepover with the girls.

"Yeah, me too." They shared another long kiss until they heard the bell ringing, announcing that a customer had arrived.

"That's my queue," Harry said apologetically, shoulders sagging as he stepped back towards the entrance of the shop.

"So where should I continue in the meantime?" Malfoy asked.

"Just continue the way you were doing," Harry said, adding a playful wink. "Just put it all onto the ground, I'll see how I'll rearrange it later."

Luckily for Harry, the man that was looking at some of the animal cages, already knew what he wanted, as it was going to be a birthday present. He chose one of the bigger barn owls, together with a cage, and some owl treats. One galleon, three sickles and five knuts later, Harry was heading for the shelves in the back again.

He leaned against the rack facing the shelve Malfoy was working on, watching how the blonde forgot all about his magic powers, and heaved bags, baskets, cages and boxes, strong muscles contracting in his back and arms. A few weeks ago, he'd made fun of Harry because he was cleaning without magic. But right now, the blonde was doing the exact same thing, without complaining. Harry couldn't withhold himself any longer and shook his head while saying: "You do realize you're a wizard, do you?" He chuckled as Malfoy jumped a little in surprise.

"I do. What seems to be the problem?" Malfoy responded, stopping a moment to catch his breath.

"You're doing all this heavy lifting. You know there's a spell for that, right?" Harry said between tiny fits of laughter.

"I'm aware of that, but thank you for refreshing my memory, Potter. You should know that I'm doing this to give you a good show." The blonde moved his eyebrows in a short motion, then turned around again and wiggled his but while grabbing the last cage on the farthest shelve. He'd cleared the entire area and Harry watched him admiringly, eyes scanning his body and following every move.

"What are you implying?" he questioned, his green eyes growing dark with lust. Harry's pants was getting tighter while observing the man's lean posture, the strength in Malfoy's muscles turning him on. Already starting on the other side of the corridor, Malfoy paused to meet Harry's gaze. His expression changed from surprise to desire, as he saw the way Harry was looking at him.

The blonde stepped around the cages and pushed Harry against the nearest shelve, ready to rip off his clothes.

"I don't want to sound cheap, but we'll have to make this quick, because if a customer comes, I'll have to go," Harry said, stopping Malfoy mid-air on his way to Harry's pants.

"No problem," Malfoy growled, undoing Harry's zipper and pulling the cloth down in one quick movement to let Harry step out of it. He swiftly unzipped his own pants, not even bothering to step out of it. He just let it hang around his knees, lifting Harry up against the shelves. "You okay?" He whispered in Harry's ear.

"Never better," Harry replied huskily. He folded his arms and legs around the blonde, as Malfoy cast a lubricant charm. Harry captured the blonde's lips, licking them as a request for entrance, then grazed his tongue on Malfoys. Malfoy entered slowly, and Harry tensed at the tightness. Malfoy waited a few seconds before moving, so Harry could get used to him. The warmth of Malfoy filling him up made him relax.

"You okay?" Malfoy whispered in Harry's ear.

"Yes," Harry moaned, the warmth of Malfoy's breath sending shivers down his spine. Malfoy shifted Harry a little, his strong arms holding up his weight. "Bring it on." Harry threw his head back as Malfoy moved his hips rhythmically back and forth. The slow and long movements soon became short and urgent, their breathing speeding up along with the pace they were going at. Harry could feel Malfoy's heart thumping against his ribcage. He dragged is nails across Malfoy's delicate skin, earning a deep moan of pleasure. Malfoy buried his head in the crook of Harry's neck, biting down hard on the tender skin. Harry's mind went blurry and he had to try his hardest to hold on to Malfoy's body. As he lost himself completely, Harry's body went limb, his legs sliding off Malfoy's hips, hardly being able to stand up straight. Malfoy's entire body was shaking with both the effort and the thrill. They remained like that for a while, Malfoy's arms wrapped tightly around Harry, keeping him from falling over.

"I love you so much," Malfoy whispered, and Harry cherished the last of their moment, the warmth of Malfoy's body radiating off his skin, warming Harry up. Malfoy's scent lingered in the air so clearly Harry could taste it.

"I love you too Malfoy." _I love you way too much._ Just then, the bell rang and the moment was gone. They let go of each other and zipped up their trousers. Harry smiled at the blonde, shaking his head in disbelief of what had just happened, feeling wobbly on his legs. Malfoy was the only one who could make him feel this way. The only one who could make him lose his mind completely.

When Harry started dating Malfoy, he never imagined being so intimate with him. He had never quite felt comfortable having sex with Ginny – not that he didn't like having sex with her, the sex was completely fine – but he was always painfully aware of what he was doing. With Malfoy however, he forgot who he was, where he was and why he was there. The only thing that latched itself to Harry's mind was Malfoy.

Malfoy.

Malfoy.

Malfoy.

George had advised him to find out what he loved about each of them, and who he loved more. The only thing he shouldn't do was wait too long to make his decision. But what if Harry already knew the answer? What if Harry couldn't make that decision?

Would he eventually lose both of them?

 **To be continued.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi guys! I'm sorry for the lateness of this chapter. There's so much going on in life right now that I just forget to post, even though the story's already finished. So I decided to finish it up, as I will keep forgetting.**

 **Enjoy**

Chapter 8

Harry cuddled closer to the taller man lying next to him, hiding his face against his chest. He was still half asleep, a content smile across his lips as his body drank in the warmth of Malfoy's presence. The softness of the feathery mattress and the protective arm wrapped over Harry's body engulfed him, nearly falling back asleep. Just then, Malfoy let out a soft snore, loud enough to wake Harry up a little more.

Slowly, Harry realised that he wasn't home with Ginny. Memories of the night before trickled back into his mind. He and Malfoy had met up after closing off the shop. Cormac wasn't home, and Ginny had planned a girl's night with Hermione and Luna. Having the time to themselves, they decided to go over to Malfoy's place.

Malfoy had fixed them a delicious meal and much to the blonde's displease, Harry had been monitoring every move he made. Paprika, filled with broccoli and mozzarella with mashed potatoes and grilled chicken. The dining table was lit with candlelight, creating a romantic atmosphere and underneath the table, Harry's feet were playing with Malfoys. They had done the washing up together, the Muggle way – in which Malfoy didn't stop complaining about how difficult Muggles made it themselves, and Harry kept spraying the blonde with water and foam.

Then they'd gone to the living room, the exact same room in which Harry had arrived when trying to persuade Malfoy to leave him alone. That seemed like a lifetime ago – even though it was just two months. They had made themselves comfortable in the sofa, a big white leather one, placing a large bowl of chocolate mousse between their legs to share, recollecting memories from Hogwarts. They had talked for hours, the fire crackling comfortably on, the lights dimmed.

Then, when their eyes were itching with tiredness, Malfoy had lead Harry to the bedroom. They had taken off their clothes and crawled into the bed together, lying naked underneath the blanket. They had cuddled and kissed. To Harry it should have lasted an eternity. But soon enough, the tiredness had gotten the better part of them and both of them had fallen asleep.

The memories brought a smile on Harry's face, Malfoy's soft chest hairs tickling his lips. The blonde's scent was all around him. Harry could still taste him on his lips. He closed his eyes again, and wondered if he had ever felt this carefree with Ginny. A frown rippled Harry's forehead. Being with Ginny was completely different. But that didn't mean it wasn't good, either. Harry bit his lip, cursing himself for disturbing the peace with his confusing thoughts.

Ginny had no idea he was here. She wouldn't arrive until Sunday evening, which meant Harry could spend tomorrow morning with Malfoy as well. That thought seemed to soothe Harry's conscious again. He curled his toes up in pleasure, thinking about spending more time with the man and arched his back, before cuddling against Malfoy again and settling himself to go back to sleep. Malfoy pulled Harry closer in his sleep. Engulfed in the enjoyable heat, it didn't take long for Harry to dose off again.

"Hey, sleepyhead!" Harry frowned, trying to remember why he was lying in a bed made up of the softest clouds and why a man was shouting at him. He wasn't doing anything wrong by enjoying this peaceful environment, was he?

"Come on, lazybones! Do you want to spent the whole day sleeping? You can sleep when you're back home. Cormac said he's stopping by to get some stuff. I don't want to be home when he comes." Cormac? That sounded familiar. The voice was very familiar too, now that he came to think of it. It belonged to a boy he'd known at Hogwarts. A blonde-haired Slytherin boy. Harry furrowed. He wasn't in Hogwarts anymore. In fact, he was living on his own now, together with Ginny. Hold on a second, where was Ginny? Had Malfoy kidnapped her? Malfoy… Harry opened one lazy eye.

"Finally. I was starting to think you had dropped dead or something," Malfoy exclaimed, exasperated.

"Morning," Harry mumbled, his brains finally catching up with him. He got up from underneath the pile of blankets and started making his way to the door. "Mind showing me the bathroom?" he questioned.

Malfoy, however, had stopped his actions mid-air, looking at Harry as if he'd just transformed into Lord Voldemort himself. "You – you're not wearing anything," he brought out. Harry instantly turned as red as a beetroot.

"I – er," He brought out, smiling sheepishly and looking around for his clothes while trying to cover himself up, but failing miserably. Malfoy crossed his arms in front of his chest, an amused smile on his face. Harry quickly jumped into his boxers and marched out the door, only to realise he had no clue where the restroom was.

"Second door on your left," Malfoy gestured from the doorway, the corner of his mouth still curled up into an crooked grin.

A few minutes later, Harry sat down in his underwear, still feeling slightly flustered, looking at the breakfast Malfoy had made.

"How long have you been up for?" Harry questioned, looking at all the food with a growing appetite. He pulled the plate of toasts closer and smeared one with jelly. Malfoy filled their glasses with pumpkin juice and took a bowl of cereal.

"About half an hour to get everything ready here," Malfoy responded. "Like I said, I want to get back to your place, just in case Cormac decides to stop by. He was caught up with his friends all evening yesterday, but he let it slip that he would pick up some stuff today, so…"

"Okay. I'll get myself ready then. I mean, you don't mind spending today with me, do you? If you rather do something else or do something with Cormac, …" Harry trailed off, feeling unsure. He took a bite from his jelly to cover up his uncertainty.

"Are you kidding me? I can spend every day with him. I'm coming over to your place whether you want it or not, Potter." Harry felt a tug in his abdomen upon hearing the growl in Malfoy's voice.

"Alright. Just making sure," he replied breathlessly, happily chewing his toast. He wouldn't mind waking up with Malfoy every day.

"But I'm not sure whether we will make in in time, Potter," Malfoy added darkly, his gaze wandering over Harry's half naked body. "If you keep provoking me like that…"

Trying to ignore Malfoy's suggestive undertones, Harry waved the comment about the clothes away. "I'll make a mental note to put my clothes on, alright? Now, what do you want to do, when we get to my place?" As soon as the sentence had left his mouth, Harry realised it had been the wrong thing to say at that point in their conversation.

"Isn't it obvious?" Malfoy said huskily. Harry threw a piece of toast at the blonde, earning him a scowl.

"I'm going to get ready, you horny Ferret," Harry muttered, a half amused tug around his mouth. Malfoy wriggled his eyebrows, which made it all the more difficult for Harry to ignore his hormones. He shielded his hardness from Malfoy's piercing gaze and quickly disappeared into the bedroom.

"Aren't you supposed to make it look like you slept alone?" Harry questioned, while pulling his shirt on. The room was messy, both pillows had been slept on and the creases in the mattress clearly showed that Malfoy had had company. Harry was wrestling with the legs of his pants when Malfoy entered the room. With a flick of his wand, everything was clean and Harry offered the blonde an irritated glare.

"You could have just made the bed too, you know," He noted dryly. Malfoy just shrugged.

"Come on, let's get going. I don't want to be caught here with you." Harry shook his head, eyed the smooth covers with a suspicious stare and then followed Malfoy outside. The fire was already green when Harry arrived in the living room, and Malfoy gestured him forward.

When arriving home, Harry checked all the rooms first before giving Malfoy the okay sign, and then he also arrived through the chimney network. "Make yourself at home," Harry said, turning around, heading for the kitchen.

"No problem," Malfoy responded, plopping down on the sofa, letting out a relaxed sigh. Harry rolled his eyes. "You in for some Butterbeer?" he called from the kitchen. He felt strangely nervous and excited at the same time, by having Malfoy over, as if he had been forbidden something by the Dursleys and he was doing it anyway.

Malfoy's long legs were dangling over the armsupport of the couch and lazily took the bottle of Butterbeer Harry held out. "So what do you want to do? Hang around on the sofa all afternoon?"

"I know a thing or two we can do on this sofa, Potter." He moved his eyebrows up and down rapidly.

"I hope that includes something that doesn't involve having sex?" Harry responded drily. Nevertheless, Harry couldn't ignore the hot sensation gliding down his back upon hearing the rawness in Malfoy's voice.

"Hey, what put you in such a foul mood? What makes you think I was going to suggest that?" Malfoy retorted with an innocent sugary pout on his face. Harry just shook his head and smiled.

"Well, what's your suggestion then?" Harry inquired, a Hermione-like expression on his face. Malfoy wasn't taken aback by Harry's tone, and just stretched in the sofa, taking up even more space than before.

"You got a game of chess here?" Harry felt both surprised and a little disappointed that the subject of the conversation had changed, but he nodded nevertheless.

"Wizard or Muggle chess?"

"Wizard Chess, Potter. What on this entire planet made you think I would ask for a game of Muggle Chess. How dull would that be? The pieces don't even do anything, you have to do everything yourself." Harry had to resist the urge to roll his eyes, but couldn't prevent a smile from crossing his face either.

"And as my experience with you has taught me, you don't like doing much yourself, do you," Harry added sarcastically. He summoned the box of chess with a simple Accio, removed Malfoy's legs from his part of the sofa and sat down.

"Look who's talking," Malfoy said, unimpressed. "I want to be white," he added eagerly, ordering the porcelain pieces to assemble. Five minutes into the game, Harry knew that he'd signed up for his own downfall. Malfoy was a lot better than he let on, and Harry knew Ron would find a good chess playmate in him. If they'd ever be able to get along. Somehow, Malfoy had managed to clear half of Harry's chess pieces, while Harry had just smashed two.

"You're rubbish at this Potter. I thought you'd be better, since you got some training from the Weasel." Malfoy seemed to enjoying himself to its fullest, and Harry was grumbling, frowning at the board, trying to figure out to still win the game without losing any more pawns. The black ones had already lost all confidence in him. They shouted various directions at him, which made it all the more difficult to keep a cool head.

"It's no use playing against Ron. He always beats me," Harry muttered, while trying to find a way to get the very good protected White King. The last remaining Tower was scowling at him, while the Bishop was shouting at him: "What in the Wizarding World are you doing? You're getting us all killed!"

"Pawn to E4," Harry said. "Oh good Lord, he's done it again," sighed the Black Queen. The pawn reluctantly moved to the indicated spot, smashed Malfoy's White Horse into pieces and dragged the remains off the board with a triumphant look on its face. When it positioned on its spot again, Malfoy's Queen shot a malicious look at Harry's Queen – who knew this was going to happen, Harry realised a little too late – glided forward and sliced off the pawn's head.

"Hey! That wasn't necessary!" Harry shouted at Malfoy, who was merely smirking. "You teach your bloody pieces some manners!" Harry slammed his fist into the sofa grumpily, cursing himself for not reacting to Malfoy's romantic advances before, and now being stuck in that bloody game.

"You're a bad loser, Potter." Malfoy seemed to be enjoying himself to its fullest.

"I hate this game," Harry growled, refraining himself from kicking the game off the sofa. He was getting restless and needed to work off his frustration. He stood up, stretching his neck and marched around the coffee table.

"Of course you do, because you can't win," Malfoy said with malicious delight. His pieces were shaking each other's hand, congratulation one another on their good game, some others were laughing at the battered black pieces, who withdrew from the board with angry faces, throwing Harry a reproachful glance every now and then.

Harry's attention wavered from the chess pieces, as they all withdrew, relieved for the game to be over. He was used to losing to Ron, but losing to Malfoy stung a little more, as the blonde was very smug about it.

"Remember this?" Harry questioned, swiftly changing the subject, turning up the radio when the Weird Sisters came on. "Yule ball, back in our fourth year?"

"I do remember. We were still little brats back then." Malfoy got up from the

"You're still a brat. Good music, nevertheless," said Harry, moving to the beat, shaking his shoulders a little. Malfoy pulled one eyebrow, then chuckled and started dancing as well. When the chorus came on, they both started singing loudly:

"Oh! Can you dance like a hippogriff? Na na na ma ma ny na na ny na! Flyin' off from a cliff, Na na na ma ma ny na na ny na!" Malfoy grabbed Harry's hands and swung them above his head, making him turn in a circle. Their hips brushed together, and Harry looked up at the blonde with a smile.

"That's much better than that stupid game of chess." Malfoy just shook his head, took Harry's chin between his thumb and index finger and placed a peck on Harry's lips.

"But you're rubbish at dancing too, Potter," Malfoy smirked, as Harry kept moving to the beat. Malfoy on the other hand, had something gracious about him and moved very elegantly. Harry just shrugged and kept dancing, earning another smile from the blonde. The music was so loud, that at first, they didn't hear the call coming from the Fireplace.

"Harry!" Ron shouted, above the music, so they both froze in the moment. It was as if someone had emptied a bucket of ice cold water on top of Harry's head. How long would Ron have been standing there. Had he seen them kissing?

"Ron, er – what an inconvenient moment - Er – Malfoy just stopped by and we were – er – dancing," Harry stuttered, looking startled from Malfoy to his best friend. Ron had a deep crease in his forehead, and his blue eyes did not carry his usual friendly smile. Malfoy's cheeks were slightly pink, but apart from that, he seemed completely calm.

"Right then Potter. It was nice seeing you. I'll stop by at a later time to give you the details about the dinner with you and Ginny." With those words, Malfoy stepped into the fireplace and disappeared. Harry was both annoyed and grateful for Malfoy's departure. He bit his bottom lip and looked at Ron.

"Er, Malfoy wanted to organise a dinner with me and Ginny and his boyfriend Cormac."

"I remember that bloke. He used to hit on Hermione," Ron said disapprovingly, crossing his arms in front of chest. Harry did not take that as a good sign. Asking him how long he had been standing there would come across as suspicious, as well as asking him what exactly he had seen. Harry didn't want Ron to think he was hiding something, but being caught in the heat of the moment was something Harry had never imagined would happen.

"What were you dancing with him for?" Ron asked. Harry's neck turned red, fumbling with his feet. He caught on to his own behaviour and tried to act a little more cool.

"It was just a good song. Reminded me of fourth year. Hogwarts, good times." Harry's voice sounded a little strange, as if he wasn't his own self right now and he heard someone else talking. Ron's frown didn't leave his face. "We were kind of lost in the moment," Harry added breathlessly.

"Clearly. I could see that. You were standing awfully close to one another. It reminded me of sixth year. I saw you two together, too." Harry quirked an eyebrow. Of all the people he knew, he would never have expected Ron to be on to his relationship with Malfoy, not now, not back at Hogwarts.

"It's – nothing." Harry had no idea how to behave himself. Not only did Ron just witness them standing chest to chest, he'd also just admitted seeing them close during Hogwarts.

"I can tell you're hiding something, Harry. I don't know why. You're getting married to my sister, do you know that?"

"I do," Harry responded coolly. As if he could ever forget that. As if he could ever forget that he popped the question to forget about the kiss with Malfoy. To prove to himself that Malfoy was in fact a part of his past and not his present. But that had been a mistake. He'd never wanted to get married with Ginny. Not before, and sadly, not now either. But Ron didn't have to know that. "Why are you saying that?"

"Why are you kissing Malfoy then. I saw you. He leaned in to you," Ron spilled. His blue eyes were reproachful, and Harry's courage sank into his shoes. He had seen it. Even though Ron didn't seem very sure about anything, he still had seen it. And that was enough. The bucked of ice cold water had magically transformed itself to ice cubes in Harry's stomach.

"It was – nothing," Harry mumbled to his feet. That was the best he could come up with. What did he have to say? _'Oh Ron, you haven't even seen the best of it yet, we're having sex whenever we can, we sneak off together to make out under the treetops."_ Harry suppressed a sarcastic smile. "Ron, I – don't know how to explain it, but-"

"You'll still have to. I want to know why you're cheating on my sister." Harry scowled at his best friend. Why did he have to use the word 'my sister'. Harry knew bloody damn well that she was Ron's sister, but she was his _girlfriend_ for a starters!

"I'm not cheating on her. It was an accident. I would just – want you not to mention it to anybody. I don't want anyone to start thinking I fancy Malfoy," Harry said hastily, trying to sound as if he'd rather die before that happened. Ron still didn't move. Harry gulped. This was going to be more difficult than it seemed.

"An accident? He asked you and Ginny to diner. How long have you been in contact?" The years of marriage with Hermione had clearly made Ron a lot more attentive and sceptical, and Harry took a moment to curse the bright woman.

"He just stopped by the shop once to look into an animal, but he didn't buy anything. And we only just saw each other at the anniversary a couple months ago, and that's it. Nothing more to it. But we're grownups now, so we don't – er – hate each other anymore. At least, I try to be more civilised," Harry trailed off again, knowing how stupid he sounded. Ron's shoulders sacked, and for a moment he looked defeated.

"I – I just don't want you to hurt Ginny. She cares a lot about you, you know. I really don't know what I just saw. I know there was something between the two of you back in school but I thought that was all over, since you and Ginny hit it off pretty well… But now this? I don't understand."

"I-" Harry started, but he knew he couldn't talk himself out of this. Not unless he was completely honest, and he knew Ron wouldn't understand. He felt more and more guilty with each lie he stacked on top of the other and for a moment, Harry opened his mouth to spill it all, like a poisonous potion he'd held down for too long. But then Ron spoke again.

"I never understood why you didn't tell us though." The Redhead stepped forward and took a seat on the sofa. "About Malfoy."

"I had no idea you knew. It was a phase I was going through. Nothing really. I broke it off after a short time and it just never occurred…"

"Still. You were a lot more excited about that than about your wedding with Ginny. I know you're lying to me, Harry. I know you better than that, and _you_ should know better too than to try and sell me that shit to my face. I'm just thinking, were you trying to cover up for an adventure with Malfoy too, when you used me as your excuse? There's no surprise, is there?"

"There is a surprise!" Harry exclaimed. He felt his entire life slipping away through his fingers, as if he was trying to hold water in the palm of his hands. "I just – I," Harry trailed off, sitting down next to Ron miserably. "I'm sorry," he whispered, tears pricking in his eyes. Ron remained silent for a while. Then he wrapped an arm around Harry.

"I said I don't want you to hurt Ginny. But, … I don't want you to be unhappy either, Harry. If – if Malfoy makes you happy – which I highly doubt you do – but should that be the case then I – I… I would find a way to deal with it." Harry looked up at Ron in surprise. He hadn't expected this, and most certainly not from Ron.

"You mean, you wouldn't mind…"

"Don't get me wrong, I'd still be pissed at you for lying to us, for fooling my sister and for being so stupid to start liking that filthy Slytherin scum, but… You're my best friend Harry. We've known each other since we were eleven. I'd accept it – I'd live with it – I think." Harry sat silent for a while, letting the conversation sink in. Ron wouldn't mind? Was that possible? Was he dreaming? Would he wake up in a few minutes at Malfoy's place, still warmly tucked beneath the feathery blankets?

"The point is, I'm don't know what I want. I – I'm kinda trying to find out?" Harry said sheepishly, avoiding Ron's gaze. "I'm still in love with Ginny, but I'm also… you know, er - There's been something going on between me and Malfoy since the anniversary – and I'm not sure – er – what it is exactly. Yet."

"Okay. At least you're being honest. I appreciate that." He could tell from the tone that Ron was pulling a face. But at least he didn't freak out.

"I just… I would like you to keep it quiet… to Ginny… So I don't have to hurt her more than I have to. I could never leave her if I wasn't sure so – I have to find out." Ron had a pained expression of his face, as if picturing Harry and Malfoy together was something extremely revolting, but he nodded nevertheless.

"But you do realise I can't keep this from Hermione, right?"

"Could you try?" Harry begged, not wanting an angry, inquiring Hermione on his doorstep, the second Ron left.

"You know that's not possible – I – But _Malfoy,_ for Merlin's sake?" Ron exclaimed. Even though, Harry couldn't believe his luck. He'd expected Ron to burst out yelling that he never wanted to see him again.

"I'm sorry," Harry half whispered, looking down at his lap. He was startled by the smack Ron gave him on the back, and when he looked up, he saw that Ron was grinning.

"You really are something, Harry." The Redhead shook his head in disbelief. "I think this asks for a Firewhisky. And since the women aren't coming home soon, we might as well make it two." Harry smiled, feeling strangely relieved to have shared the burden with his best friend, and summoned two glasses and the entire bottle of Firewhisky.

"So, tell me, how exactly are you trying to find out what you want?" Ron asked. Harry nearly choked on his first sip.

"You do realise you'll have to pump a lot more whisky in me to make me spill that."

"You're not – you know…?" Ron asked, taking a full shot of Firewhisky without even blinking.

"You know… what?" Harry asked, turning red again.

"Getting involved. In those matters," Ron muttered between his teeth, casting a downward glance at his pants. Harry's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline.

"I'm not answering that!" he brought out with dignity.

"Yeah, better not," Ron muttered, almost as red in the face as Harry. "I don't really understand it though. Why Malfoy?"

"Yeah, I feel you. That's the question. Why him? It beats me," Harry responded, shaking his head in amazement. "Of all people, why Malfoy?"

 **To be continued…**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Malfoy, McLaggen, Ginny and Harry were standing at the income of a fancy restaurant, waiting for one of the waiters to come and lead them to their table. Couples paired up in two or occasionally four were talking animatedly at oak tables, the men were dressed in suits or dress robes, the women wearing designer dresses and were heavily made-up. "It's really nice of you to ask us out, Draco," Ginny said, offering the blonde a big smile. She was holding hands with Harry, wearing one of her chique party dresses. Harry had worn dress robes for the occasion, but only to prevent Ginny from looking overdressed and to avoid her nagging about how he never dressed up. Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the showy greeting. Since when did she call Malfoy by his first name?

Not aware of Harry's annoyance, Ginny turned to Malfoy's boyfriend and flashed him a bright smile. "Hi, Cormac. You look as charming as ever." Harry faked a puking sign to Malfoy, who just smirked at him. He didn't like Cormac for one bit. The royal looking bastard was wearing a dress robe that even made Ginny look ordinary in her fancy dress. The black bowtie accentuated his dark brown eyes, and the silver seam matched with Malfoy's silver blouse.

The blonde was looking fabulous – in fact, he always looked great, but that dark green outfit, matched up with the silver blouse fit his body so perfectly, he might as well not have been wearing clothes. Harry hadn't been able to talk to him after Ron's sudden arrival, so Malfoy had no idea yet that Ron knew all about their affair. Meeting up with Ginny _and_ Malfoy right now, was a very bad idea, considering the secret they were keeping, but as Malfoy had already asked Ginny, Harry couldn't say no without raising suspicion.

"Nice to meet you too, Ginny," Cormac responded in his usual haughty tone, offering her a polite nod. Just the sight of the man, made Harry's toes curl up in dislike. He seriously wondered why Malfoy wanted to date that guy. He could get so much better than that. McLaggen was in one word: fake.

"Say something, Harry," Ginny said, giving him a nudge. She mumbled "I know you don't like Malfoy, but just give it a try," behind it, hardly audible. Harry politely greeted the two men, grateful that Ginny took his silence as a sign of not liking Malfoy, and not of a sign of being jealous of Malfoy's movie-star looking boyfriend. He didn't feel comfortable at all, being with Ginny as well as Malfoy. Nothing good would come from this dinner.

At first Harry had looked forward to it, the opportunity of spending the evening partly with Malfoy, without having to come up with excuses to Ginny sounding very appealing. But when he came to think of it, he really didn't feel like watching Malfoy and McLaggen play the happy family all evening. Nor did he like being among people who acted like they were the most important people in the world, having a breathtakingly delicious dinner in the most expensive and well-known restaurants.

They sat down at a table for four, Malfoy sitting right in front of him. The blonde lifted his eyebrows up in a short motion to Harry, making the former Gryffindor blush. Harry looked down to the table, suddenly interested in the cutlery, to hide his red cheeks.

"So, Malfoy. What is it exactly that you do?" Harry suppressed along sigh. This was the perfect opening sentence for a long boring night. Ceasing the opportunity to look at Malfoy while he responded to Ginny's question, Harry lifted his gaze again.

"I work at the Ministry. I thought you knew since I've seen Ronald a couple of times." Hearing Malfoy using Ron's first name nearly made Harry choke in his own spit. He shot Malfoy a don't-give-me-that-shit" look and then focussed on listening attentively to the small talk Ginny was trying to have. Luckily, the waitress came to take their orders before McLaggen could start off with an explanation about his job. They decided on a bottle of red wine for the entire table. Harry couldn't complain, even though he'd much preferred ordering a fire whisky straight away. The girl distributed the menus and left again.

"What are you going to take, Harry?" Ginny asked, browsing through the menu. She had her legs folded delicately over one another, facing him. She looked beautiful, Harry realised.

"Don't know," Harry responded tensely. The prices of the meals were extremely high – not that Harry couldn't afford it – but what was the point in wasting all this extra money for a boring violin playing in the background and real leather seats? Admitted, Harry didn't like the company of McLaggen, plus, he felt rather uncomfortable with being with both Malfoy and Ginny, but he wouldn't like to dine in this restaurant with Ginny alone either. And on top of that, Harry's mind was still spinning because of last weekend and Ron's discovery.

"Harry, are you sure you're okay? You seem a bit tense," Ginny remarked. " _Got that one right,"_ Harry thought darkly.

"I'm fine," Harry responded, pretending to be caught up in the variety of fish-dishes. Suddenly he felt movement around his knee. He was just about to tell Ginny to give him some room when he felt a finger starting to caress his knee in circles. Harry's head shot up at Malfoy, who was reading the menu with a smug tug around his mouth.

"Stop that," harry mouthed, but Malfoy ignored him. In the meantime, Cormac was deciding between the smoked salmon and the grilled lamb shops, shattering about how he would prefer the lamb shops because they were served with jacked potatoes. Ginny took the smoked salmon, which lead to Cormac also choosing the Salmon, but still rambled on about asking to get it served with jacked potatoes instead of French fries. All the while, Malfoy was still caressing Harry's leg and Harry's heart was speeding up, his brain in no state to make a choice. Malfoy's hand slowly, but gradually made its way up Harry's trousers travelling from knee to inner thigh. Did this man have no brains at all? Wasn't it bad enough his best friend had caught them in the act? Did he want the same thing to happen with both their partners watching? Harry kept trying to catch Malfoy's eye, but it seemed like the blonde tried his hardest to ignore him.

"Smoked salmon sounds great," Malfoy responded calmly, as if he hadn't even noticed Harry's warning. Harry knew he'd seen the glances Harry had thrown him, but the blonde pretended nothing was happening – making him even more frustrated – knowing very well Harry couldn't ask aloud to remove his hand from his leg.

"I'll take the grilled steak." Harry muttered. Malfoy's hand had reached the crossing line to Harry's crotch and his fingers gently pushed his jeans investigating, looking for his penis. Harry's erection was lying to the right side, the side which that faced the wall – and conveniently enough the opposite side of Ginny. Harry was starting to wonder how Malfoy could reach so far under the table, without even outstretching his arm, but those thoughts were soon blurred out by Malfoy's actions.

When Malfoy had found his erection, he began caressing in circles on the base, sending a hot wave through Harry's body, creeping up his chest to the back of his head, warming up his ears and his cheeks. The waitress came and noted down their orders, as Harry resisted the urge to moan aloud. Malfoy's hand was massaging on top of his jeans. Harry leaned into the touch, his eyes growing dark with pleasure.

Malfoy offered him a naughty smile, licking his lips slowly, before leaning over to his boyfriend to start a conversation with him. Ginny looked at Harry with a worried gaze.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked. Just then, Harry's pants sprang open and Harry looked at Malfoy just in time to see him tuck away his wand. He'd opened the button of his trousers with a spell! Harry felt torn between not being able to say anything about it and not _wanting_ to say anything about it, curious to see where it would lead.

"I told you I'm fine," Harry replied to Ginny, his voice shaking. Malfoy's soft fingers made their way under Harry's boxers, touching the intimate, warm skin underneath. "I just have a headache, that's all," he added, before lying his head down in his arms. Harry suppressed a moan when Malfoy's hands engulfed his erection. Ginny patted his left leg, sending a shock of alarm through Harry's aroused body. He shoved her hand away in alarm, afraid that she might notice his erection, or Malfoy's hand inside his pants. Ginny offered him a questioning look but didn't say anything else.

"So what do you do, Cormac," Harry asked, trying to shift the attention back to the four of them instead of Harry alone. His voice was shaky, emphasising the faked headache. Malfoy quirked an eyebrow at him, then focussed back on his boyfriend, a soft smile playing around his lips. Malfoy's thumb drew circles around the tip, then stroked downward, making Harry bucking his hips.

Aware that the movement could come across as weird, or suspicious, Harry shifted a little to cover up his mistake. Luckily for him, Ginny was caught up in the conversation about McLaggen's research to new healing potions. Harry lost the thread of the conversation somewhere around the part where Cormac explained about the difficult potion studies and having Malfoy to help him, as he was exceeding in that particular subject.

Luckily for Harry, the waitress brought the food, which put an end to McLaggen's boring story – although Harry had to admit that it was a worthwhile job, plus, something that Hermione would really like. Ginny shot him another worried look before starting her salmon plate, but Harry ignored her and started cutting up his steak.

Malfoy had to withdraw his hands as well, since he needed both to eat. With a last rebellious grin, Malfoy started eating as well. Harry could curse the man, both for intending to touch him in public and leaving him hanging halfway there.

"So, Potter," Malfoy began, in a business-like voice. "How is your shop doing?"

"It's great," Harry responded huffily. "If you're still interested in Ferrets, don't hesitate to stop by. We got some real talented ones at the moment." Malfoy shot him a threatening glare, and Ginny gave him a hard shove.

"Don't be so rude, she muttered under her breath. Harry was positive both men across the table could hear them, but he didn't feel like pointing it out. He resumed eating and refused making eye contact with the former Slytherin.

"Sorry," Harry grunted, but he couldn't feel less sorry right now. Still, his mind was with Malfoy's hands, and the way they had slipped underneath his boxers. Blood was still pounding in his ears, his body still in a state of arousal. Part of Harry wanted Malfoy to continue, the other half was happy that they couldn't get caught anymore.

The grilled steak didn't taste bad, but Harry really wasn't hungry, because of all the nerves. He'd been nervous about this evening all day in the shop as well. However, the three other members started eating without complaining, so Harry did as he was expected.

They ate in silence for a moment, which was only broken by McLaggen's lame comments, such as: "These jacket potatoes are really delicious." Or "Don't you think this smoked salmon is too salty?" Harry just focussed on his own dish, avoiding Malfoy's gaze. However, he could feel the grey gaze burning on his face, asking him to look up. But Harry knew better than that. With each bite, his arousal diminished, and he felt more at ease – since desert was getting closer and closer, and then they could go home.

When the waitress had carried away their empty, dirty plates, she came right back with the dessert menu. They all agreed on vanilla ice cream served with hot chocolate sauce– except for McLaggen, he had to have crème brûlé, which he ordered with the worst French accent ever.

"You've been quiet, Harry. Is your headache a little better?" Ginny asked. Her cheeks had turned slightly pink, as it was her third glass of wine already.

"It's better, thanks. I think it was because I hadn't eaten yet." Truthfully, he only felt better because the end of the evening was in sight, but none of them needed to know. He locked eyes with Malfoy, and instantly regretted it. A jolt of pleasure went through him as he saw the devouring, intriguing look. Luckily for him, they just served the ice-creams right about that moment, so they had to look away.

Happily, Harry began his desert, feeling more and more optimistic about nearly passing the evening without incidents. The last thing he needed was for McLaggen to throw a fit, or for Ginny to burst out crying when they found out what was really going on. But then, Harry froze. Malfoy's hand had returned to Harry's – still unzipped – pants, wasting no time and started stroking. The faded arousal didn't hesitate to come back and Harry felt like drowning himself in his ice cream. He looked up to tell Malfoy off with a series of reprimanding stares, but all he got from the man was a smirk and a silently mouthed: "I'm going to finish this off", after which he licked his lips delicately. Harry resisted the urge to cry out in frustration, or to moan for that matter, and just closed his eyes – the horrified feeling slowly but gradually made room for desire and longing.

"Aren't you going to eat your ice-cream, Draco?" Ginny asked politely, pointing at the three vanilla balls, floating in a little molten ice-cream. Harry felt a spark of annoyance, and a spark of relief. If Malfoy had to eat his ice cream, he couldn't continue – but then again, did Harry want that? Why didn't Ginny just shut up and watch her own ice cream?

"Yes, but I like my ice-cream to be a little more molten. Just like Potter, am I right?" Harry, who didn't have the strength to lift his arms, nor wanted to risk choking on the ice cream, merely nodded, and tried to look normal. He bit his lips, forcing back another moan of pleasure, as Malfoy quickened the pace while speaking to him.

Their gazes locked, and a low growl rumbled in the back of Harry's throat. Right now, he couldn't do anything. But when this was over, Malfoy would have to pay. Big time.

LINEBREAK

Harry linked his fingers with Malfoys, fingertips grazing over the veins in the blonde's hands. Harry's eyes locked with his silver ones, a feeling of ease coming over him. This was where he wanted to be. This was how he wanted to feel, every day for the rest of his life. The scent of Malfoy lingered around him, the taste of his mouth still on his tongue.

"I love you, Malfoy." Harry laid his head on Malfoy's chest, his steady heartbeat thumping against his ear. Malfoy's hands travelled through Harry's wild mop of black hair.

"I love you too, Potter. Always have." A comfortable silence fell between them. "I just wish we could go back in time. Back to when we were together. Maybe if we did something different, we could have been together all these years. We could've had a life together." There was a sad edge to Malfoy's voice that nearly broke Harry's heart.

"You shouldn't think that way, Malfoy." Harry whispered back, caressing the hand that was wrapped around his shoulders. "If it's meant to be, it always happens. Besides, we were both young. It was difficult back then, and I just wasn't ready for this. It'll be even more complicated now, but at least I know what I'm up against. But you know I can't leave Ginny…"

"Hush," Malfoy said. "Let's just enjoy this moment." Harry leaned in and captured Malfoy's lips drinking in his warmth. His hands travelled down Malfoy's shoulder blades, caressing his bare back, and went up again, over his shoulder, resting on his collarbone. He drew his fingers across Malfoy's chest while kissing him. The taste of his mouth made Harry want more. The presence of Malfoy turned him on again, even though it had only been an hour. Harry hugged the blonde tight, skin touching skin. The intensity of the embrace sent goose bumps all over Harry's body and Harry just wanted to be closer. He wanted to be with him. Be in him. Be him.

Malfoy gently laid Harry down, never leaving his mouth. Harry then broke the kiss, gasping for air.

"Wait, wait… Ginny's going to be home soon," Harry breathed.

"She won't be arriving for a little while, Potter, don't freak out. Let's enjoy it okay? I won't be able to see you for the rest of the week, as I have dinner with my mother and Cormac, and you're going to meet up with Granger and the Weasel." Harry grumbled at the use of their names and wanted to comment on it, as Malfoy laid a finger on his lips. Harry licked it, still throwing him a scolding look.

"I don't like you calling my friends that. They're my friends Malfoy. You should call them by their first names." Somehow, the thought of meeting up with Ron and Hermione wasn't that appealing, since Ron had recently found out about them. Much to Harry's convenience, he hadn't told Malfoy that Ron knew yet – Harry was still dealing with it himself.

"I'm not their boyfriend, am I? I can call them what I like." And with those words, Malfoy took a hold of Harry's growing erection, shutting Harry up. He wanted to say that Malfoy didn't call _him_ by his first name either, but somehow the words got lost in his throat. The dark-haired man gasped for air, trying to stifle a moan, but failing miserably as it rumbled deep in his throat.

"You want me, don't you, Potter? I'm a lot better than your stupid fiancée am I not?"

"Stop it, Malfoy. I don't like it when you say that," Harry half said, half moaned. He bucked his hips, trying to get closer to the blonde.

"But you like it when I do that?" Malfoy teased, running a finger over the head of his erect penis. Harry bit his lip, clenching his one fist in the sheets and burying his nails of the other in Malfoy's shoulders. "How many times do you want to do me, Malfoy?" Harry muttered darkly, but he didn't object. He closed his eyes, leaning against the pillow, as Malfoy gently stroked his masculinity. "Come on, Malfoy," Harry urged, as the blonde didn't pick up the pace. "Make it quick. I just know she's going to be here."

"Shush. I'm in charge."

Harry growled. "You're always in charge."

"Don't start complaining now. I didn't hear you, when I threw your legs over my shoulders and took you deep, Potter." Harry turned even redder and averted his gaze.

"Don't talk to me like that," he whispered softly, knowing very well that Malfoy was the confident one when it came to sexuality. Harry would never do that kind of stuff with Ginny. He just wasn't that kind of guy. But when he was with Malfoy, the blonde made him do stuff he would have never thought he was capable of. Like letting Malfoy make love to him. He'd never thought that having gay sex could be so overwhelming, but Harry wouldn't object to do it again, even though his behind was a little sore.

Malfoy was still stroking him, making it all the more difficult to concentrate.

"Why not? Don't you like sex talk? Are you too shy, Potty?" Harry glared at the blonde, feeling how anger pushed away his arousal.

"Don't call me that!" he grumbled, starting to push the blonde off.

"Okay, okay. I won't make you angry. I'm just trying to have some fun here, Potter. Calm down. Do you want me to ride you or not?" Malfoy seemed to be enjoying himself to its fullest. For a moment, Harry could kill him. It had only been a few days since the dinner incident, and even though Harry had sworn to make Malfoy pay, the only thing he had done when they met up was goof off and snog around.

"Don't call it ride, please," Harry half whimpered, half snapped. Harry was already reconsidering his revenge – and Malfoy was pushing it.

"Okay, do you want me to let you fuck me in the ass or not? Because it's your turn. We did it the other way around just a few moments ago," Malfoy said bluntly. Harry went rigid.

"Malfoy!" Harry exclaimed. Malfoy smiled, and Harry knew he was just making fun of him, but he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable when he talked like that. He wanted to push him off, crawl into a tiny little ball and shut the world out. Malfoy seemed to notice his unease and fading desire.

"Sorry Potter," Malfoy apologized, with a wide smile on his face. Clearly, he didn't feel sorry at all. But Harry couldn't see the humour of it. With each passing second, his arousal was decreasing, and the comfortable feeling he felt just a couple of minutes ago was draining from him. Suddenly, he felt the need to be alone. But Harry didn't want to ruin the moment. Not today.

"Just to make sure. I – I'm not your sex toy, am I? You know… when Cormac doesn't do it then-"

"Oh, come on, Potter! Seriously? We're not having this conversation. I'm crazy about you! Don't you see? I bend over backwards to be able to see you from time to time." Malfoy sat back a little bit, crossing his arms in front of his bare chest, giving Harry a look of disbelief.

"Me too," Harry said, biting his lip. "But it's just… Don't you feel like we have too much of it?"

"Of what? Sex? No we don't! It's been what? Two weeks since we had sex? I don't know, I'm not keeping count. All I know it that I'm having fun with you. When it happens, it just happens. If you don't feel up to it again, that's fine, you understand?"

"Okay. Okay. I just don't like the rough talking, I guess. I really want to – again, er – Just… you know..." Harry leaned forward and captured the blonde's lips again, to let him know that he wasn't angry or uncomfortable anymore. Slowly, but gradually the discomfort faded, and he was starting to lose himself into Malfoy.

He reached out for the blonde, caressing his skin, letting his hand travel down to his groin. Taking the warm erection into his hand, Harry started stroking him, with confident, strong strokes. Malfoy moaned in his ear, positioning himself on top of Harry's hips. He stroked Harry's penis a couple more times, positioning it before he sat down on it. Harry threw his head back at the sudden warmth engulfing him. He grabbed a hold of Malfoys hips as they started moving in a steady rhythm. He pulled Malfoy closer to kiss him and the man was everywhere. Against him, around him. He opened his eyes and looked into dark grey ones. Malfoy was looking at him as if he saw him for the first time. Harry buried his head in Malfoy's chest. Malfoy picked up the pace as they both neared the edge. The temperature was building, Harry's sweat mingling with the masculine scent of Malfoy. As they lost themselves completely, a door slammed shut.

"Harry? I'm home!" a feminine voice called from downstairs. With a jolt, Harry sat upright, shoving Malfoy off. The aftermath of their orgasm was still resonating off them – mingled with a panicked state of shock.

"What did I tell you?" Harry exclaimed silently. Malfoy looked alarmed and he quickly jumped up and grabbed his clothes.

"Where are you gonna go? Get in the closet." Harry gestured wildly, looking for his own clothes, as Ginny would ask questions if he was naked in bed.

"Like hell, Potter. I'm not going into your closet," Malfoy replied crossly while he started putting his shirt over his messy blonde hair. Harry couldn't resist smiling at the sight of Malfoy with messy hair, as it did not suit his usually sleek, well-groomed look.

"Just do what I say," Harry ordered with a growl. He tried to rearrange the bed as he heard footsteps on the staircase. He threw on his boxers and then crawled under the blanket again, very aware of the musky scent around him. The smell of sex.

"Harry?" The door squeaked a little while it opened.

"Hmm?" Harry responded, trying to sound tired. His heart was racing in his chest and he had never felt more awake in his entire life, even though he still felt aftermath of sex in his muscles.

"Why are you in bed? Are you feeling sick?" Ginny sounded worried, and she bent forward to touch Harry's head. Harry quickly repositioned himself in a reflex, avoiding her touch.

"No, just a little tired. I wanted to take a nap before you got home." Ginny turned around and walked over to the window.

"This room needs some fresh air, darling. How long have you been in bed?"

"Dunno." Harry couldn't believe how he had gotten into this mess. How was Malfoy supposed to get out of that closet without her knowing? It was impossible to disapparate in this house and the fireplace was downstairs.

"That's better," Ginny said, once she'd opened the window. "Are you getting up now, or you want me to go downstairs to fix you something?"

"I'm still going to lie a little more. You go ahead and do what you planned. I'll be downstairs it a bit," Harry mumbled from under his blanket, still faking extreme fatigue. Ginny looked at him for a moment – Harry carefully avoided her gaze, which was easy since his eyes had been closed the entire time, but he could feel her eyes burning on his skin – and then she walked through the door, down the stairs again. She had left the door open much to Harry's displease.

He instantly shot up from the bed, and tiptoed to the closet.

"Are you dressed?" he whispered against the doors. Malfoy pushed one of the doors open, an eyebrow raised in question.

"Why does that matter?" He asked dryly. Harry wanted to punch him in the arm, but did not want to risk the blonde shouting out, so he refrained himself.

"Because you're going to have to get out through the window. Come on, before she gets back!" Harry urged, pointing to the window Ginny had conveniently opened.

"Oh seriously, Potter?"

"You brought this on yourself, you know," Harry said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I told you to make it quick, because I knew she was going to be home soon."

"Oh, shut your whining, cry-baby. You enjoyed it just as much as I did, and she didn't catch us, did she?"

"Not yet!" Harry exclaimed frustrated under his breath. He started shoving Malfoy to the window. "Come on, get going. I'll talk to you later." With a last grunt of protest, Malfoy climbed through the window, landed neatly on his feet and made his way through the crowd on Diagon Alley like nothing had happened.

 **To be continued.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Harry sat down at the dressed kitchen table, feeling somewhat awkward. Ron threw him a doubtful glance from the other side of the table, showing signs of discomfort as well. Ron took a big gulp of wine from his glass, while Harry avoided drinking at all, scared that it would loosen his lips. Hermione had invited Harry for dinner tonight, and had insisted on him coming alone. She had explained that it had been too long since it was just the three of them. The sound of that made Harry's insides do a backflip. He knew very well why Hermione didn't want his girlfriend there, and it seemed that Ron knew as well.

Hermione however, continued adding plates to the table, including roast beef, lamb chops, stuffed chicken, a vegetable salad, baked carrots, French fries and various sauces, pretending there was no special reason for this occasion at all, without saying much to either of the men. Harry wondered whether she had expected ten more guests, but he wasn't going to ask. He didn't want to piss Hermione off this early in the evening, especially not since he was hiding something.

"So, how are you doing, Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry knew the underlying message to the question, but he wasn't about to give that answer. He was not ready yet to face another confession, hardly having forgotten the talk with Ron. Harry didn't know why he was reluctant of Hermione finding out. For all he cared, he had always expected her reaction to be better than Ron's. Still, he didn't look forward to all her questions, as he didn't know the answer to them himself.

'I'm good, thanks. A little busy, with everything going on, but great." Hermione put down the last bowl.

"Good," she responded, offering Ron a significant look while sitting down at the table. "It's really nice of you to come, Harry. I just wanted us to spend some time together. It's been so long since it's been the three of us, isn't it?" She started spooning chicken and vegetables in Harry's dish, while Ron dived into the rest of the plates.

"Yeah, it is. Life goes by like a train. Like I said, I hardly seem to have time to talk to you guys."

"Don't worry about it," Ron muttered, having already taken his first portion of everything and now started stuffing his mouth with a big chunk of beef and started chewing. Harry knew Ron was on his side, but nevertheless, Malfoy was a touchy subject, and Harry didn't feel like engaging in another difficult conversation. He was confused enough as it was.

"Well to be honest, we've been kind of busy as well, you know, with the pregnancy coming up," Hermione cut in, looking from the one to the other. Harry had the creepy feeling that she could see right through him, and quickly took another bite.

"Yes, I know. That's really wonderful, you know. I'm so excited for both of you. How did Rose and Hugo take it?"

"They're great. Rose loves the thought of having a little brother or sister and she's looking forward to help taking care of the newborn. And Hugo – well he doesn't say much, but I know he secretly hopes it's a boy he can play football with."

"I'd never have guessed you'd have three kids. It's crazy how everything happens this fast, isn't it?

"Yes it is. But I wouldn't want it any other way. I love the kids, so much, don't you Ron?" Ron grunted, his mouth still full, and Hermione concentrated back on Harry. "So, after the wedding, are you and Ginny planning to have kids?" Harry resisted the urge to scowl at her and merely shrugged.

"Haven't really given it much thought yet. Talking about Ginny, though, she did ask why I had to go alone. You should have told her yourself Hermione, she wasn't too happy when I said you wanted to get back together like old times. I get it though. You'd feel left out too."

"Oh calm down, it's just dinner. From what I heard, she should be displeased by other things, shouldn't she?" Hermione fired back.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Harry responded with what he thought was mild curiosity. He quickly took a bite from the stuffed chicken Hermione had added to his plate, to avoid having to say any more. Hermione eyed him suspiciously, then said in a sweet voice: "I think Ron could fill us in about that." Ron went Red behind his ears and muttered something incomprehensible due to the fact that he had stuffed his mouth – this time with French Fries.

"I know you're hiding something from me, Ronald Weasley. And don't for a second think that you're off the hook either, Harry." Harry raised his eyebrows. Now the cat was out of the bag. Faking surprise, Harry raised his hands in defence.

"I thought this was supposed to be a relaxed get-together. Why would you even think we're hiding something?"

Hermione chuckled while cutting up her vegetables. "You really don't think I'm going to believe that, do you?" To be honest, Hermione was starting to scare the hell out of him, and he regretted sincerely not taking Ginny along. He should have brought her and apologize that she insisted on coming, but then again, Hermione might have thrown hints across the table with Ginny being there – and that would have made things even messier.

"Cmoon, Chermioone, jus give ta res," Ron muttered, hardly comprehensible. Harry nodded as well.

"Yeah, we couldn't hide anything from you, even if we wanted to. You'd know instantly."

"I'll find out what the two of you are up to, believe me," Hermione muttered with a threatening glare. "Even if it's the last thing I do."

* * *

"I'm telling you, you're going to like this. Or at least I hope." Harry dragged Malfoy up several moving stairs, through a secret passageway pretending to be a wall and up to the seventh floor.

"I know where you're taking me. You're going to the Room of Requirement, aren't you?" Malfoy guessed, quirking a blonde eyebrow.

"So what if I am?" Harry retorted. It wasn't that hard to guess since they were nearly on the seventh floor. "You still don't know what's going to be in it, do you?"

"No I don't, but it better be good. Each time you try to surprise me, it turns out to be a disaster."

"Oh, come off it, stop being a pain in the nuts, and follow me." Harry was practically carrying Malfoy along the hallway. When they reached the empty wall, Harry ordered Malfoy to say put and walked three times past, thinking about what he wanted the room to turn into. He took a deep sigh as the door handle appeared, threw a warning glance at Malfoy as to say he wasn't allowed to laugh, and opened the door.

The door swung open and revealed a big, white-tiled, dimly lit room. In one corner, the wall gave way to a sauna, offering room for at least twenty people to sit in. In the right corner, the ground sloped downward into a deep, steamy pool, filled to the brim with hot bubbles. Several cosy lounge chairs were spread across the room, with spongy towels neatly folded on top of it. There was a delicious scent of honey and coconut present and near the door, cloth hangers contained a wide range of different coloured, pre heated bathrobes.

"So what do you think?" Harry asked nervously. There was a tiny tug present around Malfoy's lips, as he looked around the room.

"I must admit, Potter. This isn't bad. Not bad at all." With those words, the blonde began undressing. Harry, being momentarily frozen, just looked at the boy. Once Malfoy had stepped out of his underwear, he made his way to the bubble pool and gracefully jumped in. Gradually, Harry seemed to regain control over his muscles and undressed in a matter of seconds, splashing into the water behind Malfoy.

The hot water felt very welcoming and for a moment, Harry forgot they were both swimming naked. Malfoy dived underneath the surface, then reappeared, wiping his wet, slightly darker blonde hair out of his eyes. The gesture was graceful, and Harry just paddled on the spot while watching him. Malfoy looked at him with a smile around his lips.

"What?" He asked, crossing the distance between them in one long arm-motion and bumped softly against Harry's chest.

"Nothing. You're just… beautiful."

Harry wrapped his arms around Malfoy's shoulders, his heart pounding in his ribcage. His nerves were finally catching up to him. The awareness of Malfoy's body and the fact that they were not even wearing bathing suits caused Harry's blood to stream faster, towards the centre of his body.

"Yeah? Well, you're not that bad yourself, Potter," Malfoy grinned. He licked his lips, revealing a pink tongue for a few seconds.

"I honestly don't get what you see in me, Malfoy," Harry muttered, feeling overwhelmed and slightly uncomfortable by the comment.

"Well, in fact, I don't see anything in you. I'm just dating you because you're famous," Malfoy shrugged, his grey orbs eyeing him indifferently.

"Hey! That's not funny," Harry shouted, smacking the blonde in the arm, causing a small tsunami, Malfoy splashed in the water, swam away and smirked.

"It's too easy to get under your skin, Gryffindork."

Harry stirred in his sleep, putting an arm around Ginny. He was floating somewhere between wake and sleep, his dream still clinging to him. The swimming with Malfoy had really happened. It was a memory. Harry became more and more awake, fragments of the dream slipping away, but not entirely as he couldn't wipe his own memory.

Harry cursed Hermione under his breath. If she hadn't constantly been prying about what he was hiding and said that she knew something was up with them at Hogwarts, he wouldn't have started dreaming again. Well, as a matter of fact, Harry knew that wasn't true. He usually didn't have those dreams anymore, but when he wasn't able to meet up with Malfoy for a while, it sometimes happened.

Harry made himself more comfortable in his pillow, trying to block his thoughts. If they went back to thinking about who he had to choose, he would be lying awake for the rest of the night… again.

Wishing he was back at Hogwarts again, carless and hiding out with Malfoy in the room of requirement – the warm rippling feeling of the swimming pool around him – Harry sank back to sleep.

* * *

Harry should have known Hermione would come and talk to him as soon as she had the opportunity. A week and a half after Ron found out, she entered the shop unannounced, and Harry felt his courage sink into his shoes. Having to face Ginny, Malfoy and Cormac at the same time during the week, being almost caught having sex with Malfoy during the weekend and having to spend dinner with a suspicious Hermione, Harry felt he wasn't ready to deal with another thing just yet.

"Hi Harry; I see you already know why I'm here," Hermione said hurriedly, walking up to the counter. Her hair stood on end, blown in every direction by the wind and her cheeks were pink. Harry gave a non-committal grunt and felt himself shrink underneath the inquisitive gaze. Ron had not succeeded to keep it hidden, that much was obvious.

"The other day, Ron told me something I would have preferred hearing from you," Hermione continued, her eyes demanding an answer. Harry heaved a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. What did he say?"

"You knew very well what he said. Why couldn't you have confided in me?"

"I – I don't know, Hermione. It's all so confusing. I'm just not sure about anything yet, which makes it very difficult to talk about it," Harry said, avoiding Hermione's eyes. He had a dreadful feeling that the conversation with Hermione would be a lot more difficult than the one he'd had with Ron.

"Well, at least Ron spilled the beans. I could tell he was hiding something from the second he arrived home, last week. And I'm not going to say I'm surprised, Harry. About Malfoy," she added when Harry frowned in question.

"You're not?" Harry asked with sudden spiked interest. How could she not be surprised? Had she known all along? Then why wouldn't she have said anything?

"No, I could tell there was something going on at the Anniversary party from Hogwarts a couple months ago. I didn't want to ask you about it because I knew that you'd be very reluctant and confused, so… But then again, I thought that by now, you would have talked to us. Well, you did to Ron, but not to me, obviously." Hermione's big brown eyes looked at him reproachfully. Harry felt a big wave of guilt wash over him.

"I- I'm sorry. I- I tried at times, you know, to bring it up, but…" Harry stammered – paused and gave a big sigh. "I'm not sure what – or rather who I want. I mean, Ginny or Malfoy. I thought that – because Ron's her brother that he'd feel personally attacked by me suggesting to leave her, and telling _you_ would mean that he would eventually find out about it too. I was scared of what you two would think, so I just – kept it quiet. It was difficult, you know, but with everything going on, I didn't see you as often as I normally do, so it was easier to keep the secret."

"I don't need to hear an hour long of excuses, Harry. I just want to know what's been going on between you and Malfoy. I'm burning up," she brought out excitedly. Her enthusiasm made Harry feel taken aback, and he hesitated for a couple moments before opening his mouth.

"Er," Harry turned slightly pink. "I don't know – what do you want to know? Er… we're dating?"

"You're dating again? That's wonderful!" Hermione smiled.

"What?" Harry exclaimed, both because she was excited about him dating Malfoy and because she used the word ' _again'_. "You knew about it during Hogwarts too?"

"Harry," Hermione started in disbelief. "You seriously thought we wouldn't know? We're your friends! I instantly knew there was something going on, and it didn't take long to find out. It was kind of obvious, by the way, the way you two were behaving." Never in his right mind, would Harry have thought that Hermione would be cheering him on about the former Slytherin.

"But I – I don't understand!" Harry grumbled, the frustration mounting to its highest level. His two best friends had known about his fling with Malfoy, and all this time they had never spoken one word about it. "Ron – You, you knew?"

"It doesn't matter now, does it? So why did you two get back together?"

"You do know I'm engaged with Ginny, do you?" Harry asked dryly, her unwavering enthusiasm setting his teeth on edge.

"I do. I do," Hermione responded calmly, but her tone did nothing for Harry's temper. She quickly continued, before Harry could blab between it again. "But – I can tell you're not happy, Harry. Ginny talks about it a lot. To me, I mean – she's scared that she can't make you entirely happy. She can feel your reluctance to get married, and to have kids – and I'm talking about several years here, not just since you met Malfoy again. I've always known you wanted kids, Harry, so I was baffled that you decided otherwise. There's been something missing in the way you are around Ginny for a while now. I think it's good for you to get back together with Malfoy. It will put things in perspective."

"The only thing it does right now, is make me feel guilty," Harry muttered.

"Stop complaining. Just tell me the whole thing."

"It's nothing, really," Harry said, but upon Hermione's intense glare, he quickly set off on how he started dating Malfoy. "Well, we met at the party, as you know – and when I went out to see Hagrid, I ran into Malfoy. We duelled, and I lost, so he made me kiss him."

Hermione her eyebrows disappeared in her hairline, a smile on her lips. Harry just ignored it and continued on: "From that moment on, I felt confused. I couldn't stop thinking about it and the stupid git popped up in my head at every little thing I did. Not much later, he met me in the shop and hit on me again. I turned him down – obviously, as I didn't want to cheat on Ginny – and so he stopped coming." Harry heaved a sigh.

"I thought that would solve everything, but it only got worse. I kept dreaming, and thinking about him. So then I went by his place, to ask for an explanation about this whole kissing thing, and tell him that this had to be over and done with, that the thing we had was in the past, and I couldn't. He stood there, nearly in tears, and I froze. I said I'd give him a chance – I mean, what could I have done? So – yeah, we've been going out for a couple of months now."

He quickly glanced at his best friend, who offered him an encouraging smile. "It's great. I – I don't know but … I can't help but being in love with him, Hermione. I don't know what to do anymore. I thought dating him would give me answers, but I'm only asking myself more and more questions. I love Ginny too, and it's all so confusing. Sometimes I wish I could go back – and stay with him instead of hurting both of them." Harry stared through the windows of his shop at the people passing by, the miserable feeling settling in his stomach as if it was planning to stay there for ever.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione put a comforting arm around him. "I feel sorry for you. It's hard, but I know you'll turn out alright in the end. You always have."

"I'm not so sure, Hermione," Harry said miserably. "Not this time." Harry's problems were piling higher and higher, and now that he'd shared it with Hermione, he couldn't help but pouring everything out. "I never should have done this. It makes me feel so guilty towards Ginny, as I'm constantly lying and sneaking off with him, and it's tough, because I like being with Malfoy, in fact, I even don't feel sorry about it. And then, Malfoy knows I'm not leaving Ginny and postponing it makes _him_ feel miserable and I just don't know what to do anymore."

"Lighten up, Harry. I feel like you're a lot happier than you were before, so that's an improvement. I think you should follow your heart. Make the decision that makes _you_ the happiest. That might come as a big blow to some people, but in the end, if it makes you happy, that's all we want. Are you truly going to spend your life wishing for better, regretting the things you never dared to do? I've seen you miserable for so long. You deserve better, Harry, you really do."

"I don't deserve better, Hermione. If anything, I don't deserve neither of their love. I'm cheating on my girlfriend. We've lived in the same house for ten years. Ten years, Hermione, you don't erase that in a split second. I know her better than anyone else. I can't just leave her. I can't just hurt her like that. I care about her."

"In what way do you care about her? As your lover? As a friend, or as some sort of sister? You should hear yourself. I'm sure you've had a lot more fun during these four months with Malfoy than your ten years with Ginny combined. You can love people in a lot of different ways, Harry. Don't forget." Harry looked at her with growing respect. He had heard those words a couple months ago, from George.

"I know that, Hermione. But we share the same bed, I think it's safe to say that I love her as my lover."

"The act of performing sex doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be romantically involved, nor otherwise," Hermione retorted impatiently. "Do you have a lot of sex?"

"Hermione! You shouldn't be asking me that!"

"Ginny never talks about it," Hermione brought out indignantly, as if she found that really annoying. Harry watched her with increasing disbelief.

"And so she should! I don't go asking about you and Ron, do I?"

"No need to be so prudish about it. It's a subject like any other. In fact, Ron's really great. We understand each other really well – under the covers I mean," Hermione admitted, her eyes sparkling and her cheeks flushing. She was clearly resisting the urge to avoid Harry's gaze, and stared back defiantly.

"Right – er… Truthfully? I sometimes feel awkward with her – you know, but I think that's common, isn't it? You can't know what's going on inside the other's head, right? And – er-" Harry stammered.

"After ten years I don't think you should feel awkward around your partner, Harry. Especially not while sharing an intimate moment. Not reading each other's mind, doesn't mean something's awkward at all. You just – learn to understand one another. Perhaps there's some miscommunication going on between you and Ginny. Now, go on," Hermione urged, no sign of mockery present in her tone.

"Merlin, you don't think this is weird, do you?" When Hermione shook her head, Harry continued, feeling a little uptight. "My mind sometimes wanders off to Malfoy," he brought out apologetically. He didn't know why he'd shared that piece of information with her, but it was out before he could withhold himself.

"And does it wander off when you're with Malfoy?" Hermione asked. The fact that she insinuated that he and Malfoy were having sex made Harry flush a vibrant shade of red.

"No, it doesn't," He responded, feeling more and more miserable about this conversation. Openly admitting that he felt weird around his girlfriend – fiancée for Merlin's sake – and didn't feel the slightest bit uneasy around a boy he'd hated during Hogwarts was very confronting. More confronting than just thinking it inside his head.

"So, that's a sign, isn't it? It's the brain's way of telling that there's something wrong. I think that you know what you want, deep down."

"You do? Well, I don't," Harry grunted. Why was Hermione acting like this was so simple? It was the most complicated situation he'd ever gotten himself into, and his mind wandering off had nothing to do with wat he really wanted. "In fact, I think the reason I'm constantly thinking about Malfoy is because it's all new and not allowed what I'm doing," Harry said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Part of him wanted that to be true. Another part was scared that it _could_ be true. Hermione considered Harry's explanation for a while.

"Perhaps. But maybe you're just scared of admitting that you like a boy. Malfoy's not the easy pick, is he? It would be far more easy for everyone else, including you, if you just married Ginny and got this affaire thing over and done with. That's the main reason why you broke up with him during Hogwarts, too. I think you're just scared."

"You're wrong," Harry said resolutely. He'd had enough of this conversation. Enough of this confusion. "I'm sorry, but I got work to do, Hermione. Can we continue this at a later time?"

"Yes we can," Hermione sighed. "But I know you don't want to talk about it anymore. I've put my finger on the sore spot, haven't I?" Harry remained silent, turning away. "Just give it some time, Harry. Don't make any decision you'll regret. You only have one shot left." With those words, Hermione turned around and walked to the door. She tried to catch his eye before exiting, but Harry pretended to be fixing the price label of some black rats.

Then she was gone. Harry sank down behind the counter, burying his face in his hands. Tears were burning in his eyes, and he fought hard to force them back. His entire body shook with the effort to keep his emotions at bay, until he finally couldn't withhold it any longer. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks, the frustrations flooding out of him. He had never felt more miserable and lost in his entire life. Somehow, telling Hermione had solved nothing at all, even though he had hoped that by sharing with his friends, he would have a clearer idea of what to do.

The doorbell ringed, announcing a customer. Harry remained where he was, trying to calm himself down. His eyes were red from the tears, and his body shook with hiccups from forcing them back. He rubbed his eyes dry, put on a great smile – that didn't reach his eyes and got up from behind the counter.

* * *

Harry woke up in the middle of the night, feeling Malfoy's arm wrapped loosely around his chest. The scent of their bodies hung heavily in the air and out of the blue Harry felt a pang of homesickness. The warmth around him didn't feel as welcoming as it did moments before.

All week he'd been waiting for the weekend, longing to spend some time with Malfoy. He had hardly had any attention for his girlfriend, and right now, Harry felt bad about it. If it was one thing he had always liked about Ginny, it was the way that she was always there. He knew she wasn't going to leave him, and he knew she loved him more than anything in the world. The thought brought a smile on Harry's face.

Ever since his conversation with Hermione a few days ago, he'd been thinking about everything he had done so far. He had let himself get carried away by Malfoy, ignoring every other aspect in his life. For example, when he was with Malfoy, he never thought about his friends. He had hardly seen them, and if it weren't for them stopping by themselves, he might as well not have seen them for four months. This was very unlike Harry. He liked being around Ron. He liked talking to Hermione – even though it could be annoying sometimes that they were a couple, but the two of them and him and Ginny made a wonderful quartet.

The longer he was pondering about it, the less he thought Malfoy fit in the picture. Malfoy had Cormac, so he would be alright in the end, wouldn't he? Harry squeezed his eyes shut more tightly, trying to get a grip on his train of thoughts. Malfoy and him had spent so many hours together. Harry enjoyed being with the blonde. He felt calm. Peaceful. But then he had to return to his other life. How long could he hide away in the fantasy? How long could he avoid facing the real world?

Malfoy wouldn't wait for him forever, and it was only a matter of time before Ginny found out about them, just like Ron and Hermione had done. Harry wanted to scream. He wanted to smack his pillow in frustration, but then he would wake Malfoy up.

The indecisiveness was slowly eating him away and it took a long time before he could go back to sleep.

 **To be continued…**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

Harry linked his fingers with Malfoy's, marching along the paved street. Tiny shops were scattered here and there, their rustic structures appealing to Harry.

"You don't mind being seen holding hands with a guy?" Harry asked. Malfoy shrugged.

"I would like everyone on the planet to know I'm in love with you. Everyone should know that you're mine and nobody will take you from me." Harry felt his cheeks grow hot. "Theoretically speaking of course, as you're engaged to be married with the Weaslette," Malfoy added. Harry swung their arm back and forth while they walked.

"I'm sorry, Malfoy. I don't know how to tell her. I'm not even sure if I really want to lose her. It's just that, I don't know how she would take it. She'd be devastated, Malfoy." The couple had stopped walking, leaning against the barrier of the bridge, crossing a small river.

"So you're going to stay with her your entire life because she'd be devastated if you left her?" Malfoy stated. He looked out over the small current of rippling water, a frown screwing up his face.

"That's not what I meant," Harry retorted. Something in the air changed, and Harry knew the romantic moment had gone.

"Then what did you mean? You're going to cheat on her some more and keep me as your sweet escape each time you feel like it?" The words stung hard, especially since Harry knew deep down the man had a point. He was cheating on both of them.

"No! You haven't left Cormac either, you know!" Harry knew he was making no point, knew that this kept resurfacing – like George had predicted, and knew he had to make a decision… soon.

"I haven't left him because I'm not sure that you'll choose me! And if you pick her, I don't want to end up alone. In fact, if you chose me right this instant, I would leave him as soon as we get home tonight." Harry was lost for words for a couple of heartbeats.

"I'm _scared,_ Malfoy! Scared of what consequences the decision I make will have. I don't want to lose either of you!" The thought of leaving Malfoy made his heart contract – waves of anguish and pain searing through his body. But the thought of leaving Ginny left him guilty – empty – without a purpose.

"You can't keep having your cake and eating it too, Potter. I'm not sure if I can keep this up for much longer." People were giving them a wide berth – as they were shouting more loudly, but neither of the men seemed to notice.

"Can't we talk about this some other time? We're supposed to have fun. I don't want us to fight!"

"Then maybe you should make up your mind," Malfoy sneered, shaking his head and starting to walk away. Harry sighed, knowing that Malfoy was right. He should have seen this coming - this was what George had predicted. He couldn't go on like this, thriving on the love of two people. He had to make a decision. Harry started running.

"Malfoy, wait up!" he called out, catching up to the blonde a little further down the street.

"What?" Malfoy asked unfriendly. He glared at the Survivor, but Harry could see the sadness behind the anger.

"Just give me one more week. After I spend the weekend with Ginny, I'll have my decision ready. I promise." Malfoy cocked his head, considering Harry's proposition. "Let's just enjoy today while we can. I really looked forward to this." And that was true. Before the conversation with Hermione, Harry had really been looking forward to going outside London for a change. He didn't want the moment ruined. Not because _he_ couldn't make up his mind. Malfoy deserved better. The best.

"Okay," Malfoy agreed. Harry leaned into the man's chest, drinking in his scent and closing his eyes.

"I wish it was easier. I wish it wasn't this messed up." Malfoy wrapped a comforting arm around him, still ignoring the tourists passing by around them. Harry's eyes were burning. The gentle motion of Malfoy's hand on his back The gentle motion of Malfoy's hand on his back made Harry break down. He wanted to scream, he wanted to kick himself. But all he did was force back his tears, his eyes stinging, his throat burning.

"You shouldn't say that, Potter. You're amazing. I understand that you're confused. It's just that… You need to understand that we can't do this forever. I want you for me alone. You're too precious to share." Harry understood very well. He tried to compose himself again, and looked up with a smile on his face.

"You want to go grab a drink somewhere?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject. The decision would be made next week. There was no use in wasting the only day he had with Malfoy pondering over what to do. He could fall apart when he was alone.

They were sitting on a terrace in a Muggle café, both having a coke standing in front of them. Malfoy had a displeased expression on his face. Harry had to stop himself from giggling.

"You're not going to tell me that you've never been to a Muggle café." Harry repeated, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I tend to stick to the Wizard places." Malfoy replied stiffly. "They don't even have Firewhisky here. It's just plain."

"That's why it's called a Muggle café, dummy. Besides, it's only two in the afternoon. You're not going to drink this early." Harry tried to sound reprimanding, but underneath his tone you could distinguish a chuckle.

"With these weirdo's around, I think I just might," Malfoy muttered darkly, looking from side to side at the tables near him.

"They're not aliens, Malfoy," Harry exclaimed, his face lighting up in a smile. "You're unbelievable," he breathed.

"You can't get enough of me, Potter. Just admit it." Harry felt a warm stir in his stomach.

"You'd wish," he growled, spinning his glass of coke in his hand. Harry observed the blonde, his thoughts swirling. Malfoy's hand slipped underneath the table, reaching for Harry's knee. "Hey!" Harry exclaimed, pushing Malfoy's hand away. "Don't you try to pull that trick on me again."

"It worked once, didn't it," Malfoy teased, wriggling his eyebrows. Harry felt as if he'd been pushed in a giant bowl of hot water, warmth streaming from his neck down his entire body.

"Yeah right. I still have to get my revenge on you for that."

"I'd like to see you try." Harry kicked Malfoy under the table, biting his lips while looking into his beautiful silver eyes. Harry caught himself thinking that it might be one of the last times he saw them from this close. Harry leaned in and kissed Malfoy relishing the taste of his lips.

"Don't look at me like that, Potter." Malfoy whispered, when they broke apart.

"Like what?" Harry asked silently, his lips brushing Malfoys.

"Like you're doing everything for the last time." Harry looked down at his hands – which were linked with Malfoys. His long slender fingers wrapped delicately around Harry's. He didn't dare to look Malfoy in the eye. Malfoy took a big gulp of air before saying: "I won't have to wait another week to hear your decision, will I?"

When Harry did not respond, Malfoy withdrew his hands. Malfoy stood up, ready to leave.

"I'll miss you, Malfoy." He looked up at the blonde's back. He had his shoulders hunched, as if he was trying to fend himself off from a series of big punches. Harry's voice got stuck in his throat.

"I bet you will, Potter," Malfoy brought out, his voice cracking. Harry wanted to get up and hug the man. He wanted to kiss him and tell him everything was going to be okay. But it wasn't. It would never be okay.

The two cokes sat there on the table, left alone. Malfoy disappeared – probably Apparating back home around the corner. Harry still didn't get how the conversation had evolved the way it had. It was as if someone else had spoken through his mouth. He couldn't understand why he had said the things he had said. But the damage was done. Malfoy knew Harry had chosen to stay with Ginny. Gradually, he began to realise the extent of what he had done.

He had left the blonde for the second time. Somehow, it hurt even more than the last. All this time, he had wanted to have the decision made, stop being confused, to get it over with. But now that it was done, he felt empty.

Was this how it felt to make the right decision?

* * *

Harry wasn't himself for the next couple of days. He had nearly forgotten that he still had to do the surprise thingy for Ginny, as he kept thinking about Malfoy. On lonely moments, Harry could feel Malfoys lips on his while the blonde wasn't there. At night in bed, he could feel his long slender fingers make their way down his back, hugging him from behind. When the doorbell rang at the shop, his heart always skipped a beat, hoping that it might be Malfoy. And when it wasn't the disappointment latched itself to his body for the rest of the day.

So all in all, his mind wasn't exactly with Ginny. And she could tell too. She kept reaching out for him, asking what was wrong, but he would turn away, saying he was just tired of working. He had this constant numb feeling in his chest, that regularly made room for an overwhelming contraction of pain. His whole body would stiffen, as if it was shutting down and all he could do was sit there and hug himself – forcing his tears back. He kept longing to wake up beside the blonde, to see his silver eyes looking down on him, to see his pink lips form a smile, knowing that it would make everything better.

But Malfoy didn't come back. Harry understood of course, he had broken his heart. Shattered it into a thousand pieces and then pulverized all those pieces individually. Harry couldn't help but wonder: would he feel the same way if he had left Ginny? Would he be as lost in this world?

In the past week, Harry had seen Ron once. He had avoided meeting Hermione at all cost, as she would instantly know what he had done. He was not sure how she would take it, but he imagined her calling him stupid for letting Malfoy go. A coward. Scared of taking the hard pick.

Was he a coward? Or was he just loyal to Ginny? Loyal to the one he had spent the most time with. He shouldn't leave the girl he had sworn to love. He shouldn't hurt the girl he was going to marry. Right? In fact, Harry was scared of meeting Hermione, just because she would say the things he was already thinking. She would notice how he regretted his choice from the split second he had made it. How he had forced himself to push Malfoy away. Even Ron noticed he was falling apart. During their short conversation he kept asking if he was okay, and Harry kept nodding and shrugging. Inside, he was unravelling. He felt like falling into a deep, never-ending darkness.

However, the worst part about it, was that he still _had_ Ginny. He should be grateful that she was on his side. She should be the light at the end of his dark tunnel. She should be easing his pain – should be filling up the emptiness. But she wasn't enough. He had hoped that she would be, once Malfoy was out of the picture, but she couldn't change the way he felt. She couldn't even begin to grasp the agony he was in.

Harry felt like smashing things. He felt like screaming out his lungs, ripping out his own hair and crying himself to sleep. Why couldn't he just stop feeling this way? Why couldn't Ginny just pull him out of this state, sweep him off of his feet like Malfoy had done. Malfoy. The one who'd been the fantasy. Could it have worked out? Would it have worked out? Harry didn't know – even after making the decision he'd had to make for so long, he still didn't know. What if he had picked Malfoy? Would his world be tumbling down on him too?

One evening, Harry was lost in his thoughts during dinner – or rather, just after having eaten. Ginny was washing up, but Harry didn't have the strength to get up and help her. She hadn't said anything about it, so he just remained seated, replaying one of the many perfect moments he'd had with Malfoy – before he had shattered it to pieces.

"Do you really think I didn't know you were fooling around with Malfoy?" Ginny asked. Harry looked up, startled. He hadn't seen that tears had started pooling in her dark orbs. He was shocked that she mentioned Malfoy.

"But why-" Harry started, but was cut off when Ginny shook her head. Why was she bringing this up? He had chosen her! She should be happy. They both should be happy! She wasn't supposed to find out what had happened! He had dumped Malfoy especially so she wouldn't find out. So it wouldn't be too late. But it looked like it really was. Too late.

Ginny threw the dishcloth on the sink and started talking. "I've known for a long time. I saw you kissing him back in Hogwarts at the anniversary. Ever since that moment, you acted more distant. You disappeared for longer periods of time with no explanation, assuming I wouldn't think anything of it, while I've known you for ten years and you never went out just like that. I knew something was up. You kept finding excuses, like that surprise for example?" Ginny looked up, her smile partly mocking, partly hurt. "Planning a weekend was very unlike you, Harry."

"Why didn't you say?" Harry breathed, tears appearing in his own eyes. He couldn't apologize. It was too late for that and besides, he wasn't sorry – just sorry that she found out, maybe. But he would do it all again in a heartbeat. Everything, except leaving Malfoy.

"I didn't want you to leave him because you felt guilty and part of me was scared. Scared that you would lie or deny it. Scared that you wouldn't regret it. Scared that you'd say I never was enough for you." Harry could feel the waves of guilt and shame wash over him. The only thing he had left was slipping through his fingers. Like trying to hold water in the cup of his hand.

"Ginny, that's not-"

"Don't tell me that it is not true. It is! I knew you had something with Draco when we were younger. I knew because I was in love with you and I constantly looked out for you, for a way to make eye contact. But you were always looking over to the Slytherin table. To that sneaky boy, whom you hated for so long. It wasn't very hard to put two and two together. I once followed you, to maybe accidentally bump into you and have a reason to talk to you, apart from being your best friend's sister. You met up with him at the Quidditch Pitch." Ginny looked away, facing the ground. The only part of Harry's world that hadn't been wrenched was slowly starting to show cracks and tears.

"I knew I should've left. I had no right to be there, but part of me wanted to know for sure. And when you were done playing, which was already suspicious as you were arch rivals, but when you two touched ground, and dropped your broomsticks, I could no longer deny my fears. You two started making out. I couldn't believe what I saw and at the same time it all made sense. The reason you were so awkward around me. The reason why you never dated a girl before or showed even the slightest interest in girls. And so I knew. You and him had something romantic." Harry opened his mouth to say something, but Ginny gestured him to wait and continued:

"When you came up to me and asked me out, I knew that something was up. But I adored you, Harry and I couldn't say no when you finally took the initiative to ask me out on a date. It were ten amazing years, I don't regret it for a moment. We had all these great moments, where I enjoyed everything about you." She quickly wiped away her tears, and caught her breath. A sparkle of hope lit up in Harry's stomach. Maybe she wouldn't give up on him. Maybe he had done at least one thing right in his life… But his heart was beating too fast. His mind already knew the outcome of this conversation.

"But still, your homosexuality hung in the air like an unspoken threat. Our friends got married, and we didn't because you felt you weren't ready. We didn't have kids. We just stayed the way we were and I was prepared to live with that for the rest of my life. I was prepared to sacrifice my wish to have children. But then Draco Malfoy showed up again and swept you off your feet like our ten years together hadn't even happened. I instantly knew I had lost and it would only be a matter of time before he snatched you away for good. I knew I had lost. But I didn't say anything, because I wanted you to find out for yourself. What it was that you really wanted. I always knew it was him."

Harry had never heard Ginny say so much at once before and didn't know what to say when she fell silent. He had hoped that she would still love him, but honestly, Harry wouldn't love himself if he had to switch places. He despised himself for what he had done. There was nothing left now. Harry was merely an empty shell, walking around with no purpose. He had managed to push away the only people that cared about him.

"I don't hate you, Harry. I don't blame you either. Thank you for all the wonderful moments we had together. Thank you for sticking with me for so long, while you knew Draco could love you better than me. You made a mistake by choosing me, Harry. You should've left me and chosen him. But I know why you didn't. You picked me because you won't lose yourself into our love. You love him so much it scares you so that you'd rather hurt him so bad he stays away, than you just get together and enjoy the extraordinary chemistry you have." Harry was stunned. He couldn't move in his chair. Hermione had said something similar. Malfoy was the more difficult choice, and it would be natural to go for the easy way. He had chosen Ginny because he knew she would stay with him – out of loyalty. They had been together like this for ten years – which was proof enough that Ginny wasn't leaving him for something better.

But now – she knew. She knew everything. Had Hermione told her? No, she wouldn't do that. Harry felt the life run out of him. "I'm sorry, Ginny," was all he could say. It was devastating to know that he'd hurt Ginny all along. It hurt to know that he had lost them both. But he couldn't blame her. He couldn't blame Malfoy either. He was the only one to blame for this mess. The Boy Who Lived. The Chosen One. Look where he was now. What would his admirers say? The Hero, smashing his lover's heart ruthlessly to pieces. Harry couldn't stand himself.

In fact, they were both better off without him. Ginny would find someone who truly cherished her. same for Malfoy. They could do better than him. He had only made their lives worse and didn't deserve any of the love he'd gotten from them. "I think I better leave," Harry whispered.

"No. No, I'll go. You stay here with your shop. Mum doesn't mind taking me in again." Harry nodded, avoiding eye contact. Molly would be put out by this news. He had always seen her as some kind of mother, and she had always been so good to him. And now, he'd broken her only daughter's heart. She would hate him for it. He should be ashamed of himself. He _was_ ashamed of himself. He could never show his face to them anymore.

* * *

After locking himself up for a considerable amount of time, in which Ron and Hermione kept banging on his door and kept inquiring to talk to him, Harry finally scraped enough courage to face the world. Ginny had taken her stuff on that doomed day and he hadn't seen her since. Harry felt dreadful. He felt sick and was constantly in his bed. He couldn't eat. Couldn't sleep.

But enough time had passed and he had to pull himself together. He had brought this on himself and he was dramatizing. It was time to pick up his life again. And there was only one way he could do that. By stopping by at George's place. He needed to talk to him – confess what a mess he'd made. Then he would move on.

"Hi George," Harry greeted. George froze in mid-air, and turned around on the spot, eyes as big as saucers.

"Harry! I thought you had died and were decaying in you little appartment up there," George exclaimed patting him on the back, smiling from ear to ear. Somehow, the numbness eased a little and Harry returned the smile.

"No, I'm still alive. Barely, but still."

"I heard what happened. How come thing are this messed up?" He gestured for Harry to take a seat on the counter and looked at him expectantly – waiting for a reply.

"I don't know, George. I think there was no right decision to make. Leaving them both was the only option, and luckily for them, it turned out that way." Harry looked down at his feet, avoiding George's eyes.

"But where does that leave you? Why did Ginny leave? Did she find out?"

"Yeah, she did. And she said I should've picked Malfoy, which I didn't, which then leaves me in this very situation."

"It's not as bad as it seemed, Harry. You'll be alright in the end. People will turn around. They'll come to terms with what happened, understand that you and Ginny were never meant to be, that you and Malfoy weren't ready for one another and that's that. You shouldn't blame yourself so much."

"How is it that you always make things look so easy?" Harry exclaimed in frustration.

"Because they are. You'll crawl back on your feet, just you wait, pal!" George leaned against the counter, crossing his arms in front of his chest, a smile on his face.

"So, you're not angry with me?" This was one of the things Harry was scared off. That he had not only chased away his lovers, but his friends as well.

"Angry? Why would I be? You didn't cheat on me did you? No, no Harry, I'm just kidding. Nobody should be angry with you. Love is a strange thing, you see. You can never predict what's going to happen. You fell in love with the Malfoy kid, but you were already in love – or at least some kind of love – with Ginny. I gotta admit, these things usually don't work out."

"Yeah, got that one right. I wish I had picked Malfoy." Harry fumbled with his fingers, a sad veil falling over his face. Thinking about the blonde always had this effect on him – ever since he ruined everything they'd had.

"But you didn't. And if you had, your guilt would have eaten you away inside. It would have consumed all the purity of your relationship with him. And then you would have ended up here as well. Why don't we hook up, Har? We seem to get along well." Harry punched George in the shoulder, but couldn't help but smiling. Maybe George was right. Maybe it wouldn't have worked out with Malfoy either way.

"Have you talked to Ron or Hermione yet?" Harry asked, another burning question for which he feared the answer.

"Yeah, yeah, change the subject will you? If I'm not handsome enough, then just say it. No, I'm fooling around with you, Harry. They're pretty pissed because you're not talking, though. You should go talk to them. They're your friends."

"I know. I will. I just needed some time to progress everything. I've been a mess, George. A real mess. But I'm getting better each day. How's Molly holding up?"

"You know her, thinks she knows the answer to everything. Initially she thought you two would get back together, but now she's saying that you're both better off. She doesn't hate you, if that's what you wanted to know. At first she was ready to cook you, but she's laid off now." George smiled brightly.

"Good. And Malfoy?"

"Haven't seen him around. I'm sorry, Harry. I really wish it could have turned out with a happy ending, you know. But at least you've got time to think now, without distractions." Harry shook his head. He would give everything to have those _distractions_ back again, but Malfoy seemed gone for good.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Thanks for everything George. I mean it. I owe you so much."

"You don't owe me anything. Perhaps a visit from time to time, but I know your time is precious. Being the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen one and the Survivor and all."

"I'm going to stop by more often. No distractions anymore, remember?" Harry chuckled. He enjoyed spending time with George, and he really intended on stopping by more often. George deserved nothing less.

"Sounds great. You'll turn out okay, Harry. Just you wait. You know what they say: 'All good to those who wait'."

"Well, I haven't got much choice, nor anything else to do, have I? I think I'm off to Ron and Hermione. They deserve an explanation, and I'm ready."

"That's my boy." Harry leaned forward and hugged George tightly. George patted him on the back jovially.

"Thanks a million. You really are a good friend." George made a little bow, and Harry chuckled, waving before leaving the shop. He needed to put things right. Then, he really could move on.

* * *

It had been almost a year since Harry and Ginny broke up, and since he'd last seen Malfoy. Harry was slowly getting back on his feet, but with Ron, Hermione and George by his side, he was doing great. The shop was blooming, Harry felt a lot more happy than he'd done a couple of months ago.

He was making his way through the busy streets of Diagon Alley, to go get an ice-cream. Florean Fortesque IceCream Parlour had been reopened by a new owner and Harry was very fond of the way they had kept all the good stuff Florean had done for the place.

He was just walking on the sunny street, when his eye caught a flash of silver. Harry looked up, eyes locking on silver ones.

Malfoy.

Harry's heart skipped a beat. Both men had stopped walking, were just staring at each other. Harry slowly raised his arm, waving at the blonde. The former Slytherin frowned, his blonde eyebrows knitting together. He then walked up to him.

"Potter." Harry had forgotten how beautiful Malfoy's voice sounded. The way he pronounced his last name had something delicate about it.

"Malfoy. Long-time no see. How are you holding up?" Malfoy's face seemed to light up a little, and Harry could feel a tug behind his navel, as if he'd just touched a portkey – but in a good way.

Both men started to make their way to the IceCream Parlour, walking just a little too close to one another. Only a few metres away, George was standing in the doorway of his Joke shop, eyeing the two men with a knowing smile. Hermione came standing behind him.

"Nice timing, Hermione," George complimented, giving her a playful wink.

"Did they see each other? Hermione asked curiously staring over the many heads in the street to find Harry and Malfoy.

"You bet they did. They didn't have eyes for anything else the moment their paths crossed." Hermione gave George a high five and both went back inside.

 **The end!**


End file.
